Detention
by appa-appa-away
Summary: Ba Sing Se is a place of refuge in a world of war caused by an anti-monarchy rebel group; Ozai's Red Army. But despite the safety within the walls, the city is corrupt and filled with secrets. Can Zuko and Katara break through the chaos of each other's lives before hope is lost? An A/U Zutara set around the end of season 2.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: A quick little project because I was bored and the idea got stuck in my head. For those who follow me, no, this is not me making my big come-back to FF.N. I'll most likely write this whole story tonight and upload the chapters (there will only be three or four) over the next few weeks.

Set in an alternative modern/dystopian universe. You'll pick up what you need to know. I'm thinking of this as an evolved version of The Crossroads of Destiny, when Zuko and Katara are stuck in the cave together. Of course, I've changed a lot of stuff. Might sneak in some Zutara. Hope you like it, and please review.

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**Chapter 1**

Katara sat picking her nails in the corner of the library after school. Laid out on the desk in front of her was a sketchbook, half-filled with random drawings; a mixture of the results of boredom and creativity, and the most recent edition which Ms Joo Dee deemed highly inappropriate. She had discovered Katara adding the final touches to an elaborate drawing of an army of men dressed in green. At the front of the group was the country's monarch, King Kuei. A title in thick black markers and sharp letters read "PUPPETS ON STRINGS". This daring political statement had angered Ms Joo Dee enough to deal Katara with an after school detention.

Whilst waiting for her supervised punishment to begin, Katara flicked through the book from the beginning and took in the different pictures, some half finished, some uncoloured, some in pencil, marker, pen… She lingered for a moment on a picture she'd drawn of her friend Aang. He was sitting upright in a hospital bed smiling from ear to ear. She thought vaguely back to the day she'd drawn that picture; she'd been sitting on a chair next to him, keeping him company. He'd drawn an arrow on his bald head just for the fun of it. "Having cancer might have made me lose my hair, but there are other ways to decorate my head!" She'd drawn him with the arrow on his head too; bright blue, just like the sky. She'd meant to visit him in the hospital after school and had tried to convince Ms Joo Dee to schedule her detention for another time, but the conservative teacher had refused.

"I'm glad to see you're on time, Katara," Ms Joo Dee said with her giant, fake grin. The amount of Botox in her cheeks sickened Katara. As the teacher entered the room, another figure followed her in, head bowed and silent. "And Zuko, I'm glad you are not late this time. I would have had to increase your punishment, as you are a repeat offender of lateness to detentions."

Zuko sat at the furthermost table from Katara and didn't speak a word. She cast a venomous glance at him and closed the sketchbook in front of her. Ms Joo Dee shuffled a few pieces of paper in her hands and cleared her throat to get their attention, but Zuko kept his head down and Katara continued staring at him.

"Students sitting in detention after school will sit in the area designated by the supervising teacher from 3:30pm until 4:30pm, at which time they will be dismissed. Students sitting in detention are to remain silent at all times, unless given expressed permission by the supervising teacher. Students are not to use mobile phones, laptops, iPods or other electronic devises during this period. Students may use detention time productively by completing _approved_ homework tasks which do not require internet or computer access. Alternatively, students may sit in silence. Students in detention may have a bottle of water with them, but may not consume any other food or beverage during the detention period. Detention period begins now."

Ms Joo Dee sat down at a desk and started flicking through a pile of paper with a red pen in hand, marking maths equations with ticks and crosses and annotating essays with spelling and grammar corrections and comments of agreement or disapproval. She was a jack-of-all-classes teacher. She'd seen Katara's supposedly inappropriate illustration during an art class, and noticed Zuko on his way to her psychology class "attempting to initiate a violent scuffle" with a group of boys – his sister's friends – he "claims" were harassing him, regarding his family situation.

Zuko's father was the alleged leader of a resistance group planning to overthrow King Kuei. He and his group had gone underground three years ago, when authorities had discovered them, and Zuko hadn't had contact with him since. His sister, Azula, had disappeared soon after, but returned to school recently, though he didn't know where she was living. He had a feeling that she was still in contact with their father. It made him feel isolated and alone. Their father had always preferred Azula. Zuko was the unwanted child, inferior to his sister in all aspects of life. While she excelled in everything she did, he was nothing more than a scar-faced straggler in his father's eyes.

Katara stared darkly at him for a solid five minutes before he finally looked across at her and stared right back. His eyes were just as cold as she perceived his heart to be. But she didn't know a thing about him, not really. She knew who his father was, but didn't know the conflict that existed within what he had to call a family. But his father was the resistance group leader, and while she wasn't the biggest fan of King Kuei herself, she was even less of a fan of Ozai and his Red Army. Of course, she had her reasons.

Eventually, she came to feel unnerved by his eyes and she looked back down at her desk. After a moment, she pulled a pencil case out of her bag and flipped her sketchbook open to a fresh page. She started sketching an image she knew well; an icy beach with half-frozen water that stretched out to the horizon and reflected rays of sunlight. It was an image she had grown up seeing every day of her life in her own home, much further south, where sometimes it was so cold that it snowed all year round. She'd promised to draw it for Aang, and she thought of a poem she could accompany the picture with. But no sooner had she started her new project, Ms Joo Dee came to stand over her desk.

"Katara," she said sternly. "Students may use detention time productively to complete _approved _homework tasks which do not require internet or computers. Alternatively, students may sit in silence."

Katara looked up at Ms Joo Dee with a frown. The ridiculously huge smile spread across her face was unbearable. "I'm only drawing."

Ms Joo Dee tried to frown against the Botox, but to no avail. "Drawing is not _approved _homework, Katara."

"But it's for my art folio!"

"Please do not answer back. You may not draw in detention. You may complete _approved_ homework tasks or alternatively sit in silence." Ms Joo Dee and Katara stared at each other for a long while. Zuko watched them silently, vaguely interested and slightly amused. Then, Ms Joo Dee snatched up Katara's sketch book and snapped it shut. Katara opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off. "This sketchbook has inappropriate contents, and as you refuse to comply with the rules of your detention period, I am confiscating it until further notice."

Katara pushed her chair back and stood up. "You can't do that! Whatever happened to freedom of speech and –"

"Katara, _sit down_."

The offended girl closed her mouth and stared at the teacher. After a moment, she obeyed the order and sat. "When can I have it back?"

"I'll let you know. I'll go and put it in the confiscation box in my office now. We will discuss this another time." Ms Joo Dee tucked the sketchbook under her arm and marched out of the library.

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Author's Note: Let me know what you think. Leave a review :)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: A big thank you to all who reviewed last chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review.

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**Chapter 2**

Katara listened to Ms Joo Dee's retreating footsteps echoing in the empty corridor beyond the library. Her hands clenched into fists on the table in front of her and she gritted her teeth. She felt stinging tears in her eyes. It was like nobody understood that her best friend was in hospital, possibly dying, and all she wanted to do was be with him and do what she could to get him through to whatever the end of his illness would be. She'd promised him that picture and she would damn herself until her dying day if she did not give it to him.

She glanced up at the soft thud of the library door swinging shut and caught Zuko in the corner of her eye, still staring at her. She wouldn't cry in front of him. "What are you doing in here?" she spat, facing him. Zuko looked back down at the desk in front of him with a shrug. Katara snorted and quietly labelled him a coward. "Let me guess, _you_ were caught making plans to help your father overthrow King Kuei. What a stupid question." She may have only imagined it, but she thought she saw him flinch at the word "father".

Zuko reached under the desk and pulled a maths text book and exercise book out of his school bag and went for a second dip to find a pencil. He flicked the text book open to a dog-eared page and scanned it to find the question he was up to. The insides of his notebook were messy, un-ruled pages filled with scrawled numbers and pro-numerals and half-distinguishable signs which made up each equation, its working out and its answer.

Katara watched him just as intently as he looked at the simultaneous equations he was finding the point of intercept to. She wasn't finished with him. "Do you think that it's fun to kill innocent people?" Zuko's pencil kept scratching along the paper. "Don't get me wrong, the political system around here is corrupt, but King Kuei is just a puppet, a figurehead. He's not even the man you should be after." Katara sat back in her chair and watched him. He didn't react to her words. He just kept doing his homework. "But no matter what your clause is, does it _really_ justify the killing of so many innocent people?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. What gave him the right to go to school amongst the people he was murdering? Why did he feel justified in his actions in the first place? Katara blew a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear with a grunt. "What do you care anyway? You're Ozai's _son_, and your _family_ had been head of the Red Army for generations. Spreading all this war and violence is in your _blood_."

Zuko suddenly slammed his pencil down and stood up. "Shut _up_!" She flinched, not having expected the outburst, but she composed herself again quickly and glared up at him.

"Why should I? I'm only telling the truth. You got a problem with that?"

"What _truth_?" He kicked his chair aside and started walking towards her. "You don't _know_ what you're talking about. You have no _idea_ what you're talking about!"

Suddenly threatened, Katara stood up. She was taller than most people thought because she was usually hunched over her sketchbook or schoolwork. But with her back straight, she was not much shorter than Zuko, though she was two years his junior.

"What do you mean; _I don't know what I'm talking about_? What the _hell_ do you know of what _I_ know?!" Her voice was louder than either of them had expected and Zuko stopped coming towards her, his face ablaze with rage. "You have no idea what this _war_ your type started has put me through, _me, personally_!" Her voice faltered at the end as she realized she had said more than she'd intended. She looked back down at the table and sat, lips pressed tightly together, refusing to look back up at him.

"What happened?" he asked, seemingly uninterested.

"Nothing," she snapped back.

He gave a nearby chair a kick and it toppled to its side. "Dammit, _tell_ me! You can't blame '_my type'_ for something and then not even _tell_ me what it is! What the _hell_?!"

"If it's _any_ of your business," she shouted, standing up again. "Members of the Red Army killed my mother in my home in the southern regions when I was six! Happy? My mother is _dead_ and yes, _'your _type', the Red Army, are the ones responsible."

Zuko's face emptied itself of rage and he took a step back. Katara silently cursed herself for saying so much. She sat down again and turned her chair away from him and quietly wished he would go and sit down at the other desk again. She wanted to be alone. Tears choked her as she held them back. She still refused to cry in front of him, but she couldn't stop the tears that escaped her eyes or the sobs and shook her body. Katara fumbled clumsily for the blue pendant of the necklace she wore; a gift from her mother and the only memory she had left of the woman. It was the only piece of her mother she knew the place of in this world, and it was her piece to keep, hers alone.

Zuko did eventually return to his seat when Ms Joo Dee re-entered the library. The conservative teacher was taken aback by the toppled chair and the distraught girl, facing away from the world in her misery, and Zuko who was breaking the rules by not being seated and would receive another detention for his disobedience. But Ms Joo Dee did not ask questions. She did not want to become involved in what she called "issues within the _personal_ lives of the students." So she sat back down at her desk and continued marking students' work, Katara's sketchbook safely locked in the confiscation box in an office on the other side of the school complex.

"I'm sorry." Zuko's voice broke through the silence. Ms Joo Dee glanced up in disapproval and confusion. He was looking across the tables at Katara, who was still facing away and still shaking with sobs. "That's something we have in common."

Ms Joo Dee shook her head. "Students may not talk during the detention period without expressed permission from the supervising teacher." Zuko fell silent and Ms Joo Dee watched him for a moment longer before returning to the papers in front of her.

Katara steadied herself and banished the last of the tears from her eyes. She thought, _What does he mean?_ She turned around to look at him, and found that he was still watching her.

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Author's Note: I just finished doing a module of Graphs and Relations in maths, so excuse all that jargon; it was the first type of _approved_ homework that came to mind. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and leave your thoughts.

Fun Fact: The Japanese Red Army was a communist militant group founded in 1971 with the stated goals of overthrowing the Japanese government and monarchy and starting a world revolution.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too. Please leave a review!

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**Chapter 3**

At ten minutes past four, Mr Long Feng entered the library and bent over to murmur something into Ms Joo Dee's ear. Their supervising teacher looked up from her pile of corrections and she gave a small nod and stood up, clearing her throat. "I will be back shortly. Please remain silent and seated until I return." She left with Mr Long Feng and Katara smirked quietly to herself: it was obvious that they were having an affair.

The library door thudded shut. Zuko sighed.

"What did you mean by that?" Katara asked him, almost gently.

"By what?"

"What you said earlier. _That's something we have in common._" He didn't respond for a moment and stared solemnly at his hands. She prompted him again. "What did it mean?"

Zuko leaned back in his chair and looked at her. She felt a little stupid under his gaze, as if the meaning of his words should have been obvious. He looked down at the open maths book on the desk in front of him. "The Red Army is the reason that my mother is gone too."

Frowning, Katara sat forward. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said." When he felt her waiting for him to continue, he spoke again. "Yes, my father is the alleged leader of the Red Army. That doesn't mean my whole family is involved. There was a… disagreement, between my parents." He stopped himself short and looked at the floor, away from Katara.

She came to sit at the desk with him and he felt her cool hand touch his skin. "It's okay. Tell me."

Zuko looked up at her. "What does it matter to you? It doesn't change what he did to you, does it? It doesn't change a thing. Your mother is still dead."

"And so is yours," she said evenly. "If I've understood you." He gave a single nod and didn't raise his gaze again. "What were you going to say?"

He shrugged. "Look, it's just … it's complicated. I'm not entirely sure of the details myself."

There was a long pause, and Katara searched for the right words to say; something to let him open up; something to help her understand. There was something bigger than she'd suspected and she could feel it, as much as she hated to admit it. Until less than an hour earlier, Katara had never actually had a proper conversation with the boy beside her, but felt she knew him inside out because of who his father was and what his father did.

Zuko was leaning forward with an elbow on the table and his head in his hand. His other hand sat limply on his knee. She reached for it, hesitantly, and was surprised by how warm it felt. He looked into her face with shock, but he didn't pull his hand away. Katara gave a soft smile and closed her fingers around it a little tighter. "Tell me what you _do_ know."

He stared at her for a long time, thinking. She wished he wouldn't think so much. If he didn't tell her whatever secret he was keeping, she knew she'd never understand him. She'd become just like every other 'normal' citizen of Ba Sing Se; ignorant, assuming, assured.

Zuko pulled away his hand. "Why do you want to know?"

"I don't want to be as oblivious to the truths of the world as everyone else in this city. That's why I'm always in trouble with the things I draw in my sketchbooks, and the things I write in my essays and assignments too. Whenever I see that something is hidden, I find the truth."

"Why is _this_ truth so important to you?"

She was on her feet in an instant. "Because I've obviously assumed something that is wrong. You lost your mother to the same people I lost mine to, and so your life mustn't be as happy and damn dandy as I thought it was. And I see that I am wrong in my initial thoughts on who you are."

Zuko smirked. "What _thoughts_? Who did you _think_ I was?"

"The enemy! Who else? You are Ozai's _son_ and naturally, I assumed that you must be the Red Army's number one follower, and next in line to take over once someone knocks him off his perch." He scoffed, almost laughed, incredulous. "Whenever I imagined the face of the enemy, I saw _your_ face."

He flinched and his face turned blank. Katara frowned. What had she said to hit a nerve? "My face…" Zuko raised a hand to the scarred skin. "I see."

Katara's eyes went wide. "No, no! That's not what I meant, that isn't what I meant at all…"

"Of course not."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I really didn't mean it like that…"

Zuko did not take his hand away from his face and Katara worried that this was the end of the conversation. She'd lost her chance to uncover this truth, and she'd hurt him. She wouldn't push it; she didn't want to cause any more damage, curious as she was. But what was left to say? There must have been something; some way to make it up to him for the offence. Katara opened her mouth, but could not think of words and closed it again. Eventually, Zuko turned back to his maths homework and Katara sat awkwardly, still wondering what to say.

"There was a disagreement between my parents," he said, breaking the silence. Katara flinched at the unexpected sound, but forced herself to pay attention. "My mother didn't want dad to get involved with this Red Army business because he had a family to take care of, and what would happen to us if something happened to him?" He completed a set of simultaneous equations and checked the answer at the back of the textbook. "Well, I'm not sure what was said and done, but one night they had a pretty bad fight. I locked myself in my room and tried to block out the sound of their yelling. My mother sounded… desperate." He set up the next pair of equations and then put his pencil down. He turned to face Katara. "The next morning, she was gone. Dad told us she was dead. He didn't say how, or why. We didn't question him. We knew better than to question him by then. I was seven."

Katara stared unblinkingly at him. "I'm sorry," she managed.

"What for? You didn't do it."

"I'm still sorry." She tapped her fingers against the desk. "I thought it was pretty horrible to lose my mother to the enemy. But I guess losing her because of my own father would be…"

"_Worse_?"

She nodded quietly. "Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life, but when I realized I had you wrong, I –"

"It's okay, I get it." His scowling face disappeared for a moment and he smiled at her. There was something genuine about it and she felt herself smiling back.

"I _am_ sorry for what I said before. I really didn't mean it like that," she said. He just shrugged again. She reached a hand out and placed it on the left side of his face, feeling the scarred skin beneath her fingers. Her thumb brushed his lips and she gave a small start at the electric pulse that rushed through her at the contact. "How did this happen?"

Zuko glanced up at her from underneath a mop of black hair. A moment later, he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. His hand came up to cover hers and she couldn't help but smile at the warmth it gave her.

The library door swung open and they froze as a flustered Ms Joo Dee discovered her students breaking detention rules once again. "Katara, _back_ to your seat! Students are not to interact during the detention period!"

They pulled away from each other, awkward, yet somewhat reluctant. Zuko smiled again, "I'll tell you later."

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Author's note: I'm having a lot of fun adapting this scene into something different and modern. Also, make way for some mild Zutara. Remember to leave a review if you read it and let me know what you thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks again to all of you out there reviewing, it is much appreciated! Hope you enjoy this chapter too. But just for the sensitive folk out there, there's a very naughty word in this chapter, so be warned. Now read my pretties!

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**Chapter 4**

At four thirty, Ms Joo Dee dismissed them and ushered them out of the library hastily, following them to the main entrance of the school building and locking the door behind them. She marched back down the corridor with a nervous but smiling glance over her shoulder as they watched her through the glass doors. At the end of the corridor, Mr Long Feng was waiting for her, and Katara snickered again. Zuko gave a soft chuckle and stepped away from the building.

The sky was dark with clouds and the pitter-patter of rain murmured through the empty school-grounds, and murmured again through the empty streets of the city.

"What are you doing?" he asked her as she stepped out from under the shelter and looked up at the sky.

"Standing in the rain," she answered simply.

"Why?"

She smiled and looked at him. "I love the rain. Why _not_?"

"You'll get sick."

She shook her head. "Not likely. I grew up in the rain. And the cold. And the snow. It was hardly ever sunny where I grew up in the south."

"What's so good about standing in the rain though?"

Katara shrugged. "It helps me think. It clears my head."

Zuko watched her doubtfully, and then stepped out to join her in the rain. It was only a gentle shower. The pitter-patter was steady and light. "What was it like in the south?"

"Colder than this," she laughed. "But I loved it."

"Why did you move here?"

Katara looked down at her feet for a moment and then back up at him. "My dad was sent far away for work. He's a peacekeeper, but his group was sent to the north. It was getting hard to stay down south with just my brother and the small scattering of neighbours, and my grandmother was getting sick. So we moved to the city. We can see our dad a little more often now."

"It's a shame that you don't get to see your dad much. But it's good that you can see him more now."

"We still don't see him much, but every few months for a week is better than every year or two for a day."

Zuko nodded and shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I haven't seen my father in three years."

Katara frowned. "No? Why not?"

He forced a laugh at the question. "When it came out that he was the Red Army leader… that is, when the authorities figured it out… he went underground. One day he was there and the next, he was gone. We'd only just noticed when the police came knocking on the door and asking us questions. So many questions… and I didn't know a thing. I couldn't tell them anything, because my dad never told me a thing."

"Then what? He just never came back?"

Zuko nodded. "Not long after he left, and while we were still getting a lot of questions from the police, my sister disappeared too. She showed up here at school again the other month, but I have no idea where she's living. It's really strange. It almost feels like they died. They vanished without an explanation, just like mum. Except I _do_ know that they're both out there, somewhere. Mum's just gone."

"Do you miss your dad?"

Zuko looked across the schoolyard with an unreadable expression. "Sometimes," he said. "Sometimes not."

"Why not?"

"He isn't much of a father. He gave me _this_." He ran a hand over the scarred side of his face.

Katara was shocked. "Your _dad_ did that to you? Why?!"

"To be honest, I can't remember. I said something he didn't like. He snapped and grabbed a burning piece of wood out of the fireplace and threw it at me. It was like a giant ball of fire. He grabbed it with his bare hands and just threw it at me. He burned his hands pretty bad, but he didn't care, as long as he'd gotten me."

"That's horrible!"

"Like I said, he isn't much of a father." Katara wasn't sure what to say to him. "Then he left. And he left me behind."

She shrugged. "He left your sister behind too though, didn't he?"

"Not really. Something about the way she reacted to his disappearance told me that she knew where he was. And then she disappeared too, not long after. He told her what to do and how to join him. She's his perfect child. He would never abandon _her_."

Katara looked down at the ground. "What happened to you once they were gone?"

"I stayed with my uncle. I had basically been living with him since dad burned me. He had some hospital training and I didn't really want to take the incident to the police, so he helped patch me up. And when dad and Azula went, I just stayed there." Katara was left speechless again. He turned to look at her again. "Do you miss the south?"

She smiled at the question. "All the time. It was rarely sunny, but that meant I could really appreciate it when the clouds disappeared. I don't appreciate the sun here."

"What do you miss most?"

Katara thought of the picture she was drawing for Aang. "Sunrise, looking over the half-frozen ocean. The clouds were always over us, but the horizon was usually clear. The sunrise was beautiful." She looked up at the sky again, as if searching out the image she missed most. "I was drawing that when Ms Joo Dee took my sketchbook off me."

Zuko frowned. "She said she put it in the confiscation box in her office, right?"

"Right."

He smirked and turned back towards the school building, indicating for her to follow. They skirted around the school until they were on the other side and Zuko pressed his back against the damp wall next to the window of Ms Joo Dee's office. "I'll bet they're fucking in Mr Long Feng's office." He peeked in and grunted in triumph. The office was empty and the confiscation box sat unattended on Ms Joo Dee's desk. Zuko tried the window and it inched open with only a little bit of resistance.

"What are we doing?" Katara asked, half alarmed and half excited.

"What does it look like?" Zuko said, climbing in. "Wait there." Katara watched him straighten up inside the office and turn to the confiscation box. There was a padlock on the lid and he tugged it once, just in case it wasn't locked. But it was and he started searching the desk for a key. Katara glanced around the school yard beyond the building, but it was just as empty as it had been when Ms Joo Dee had locked them out. When she turned back, Zuko had found a bobby pin and was shoving it into the padlock. He twisted it a couple of times one way, and then back the other way, and frowned in concentration for a moment. Katara held her breath, waiting for the bobby pin to break, or for Ms Joo Dee to walk in. This little mission was taking too long, and she didn't want to know how much trouble they'd be in if they were caught. There was a sudden click, and Katara jumped, thinking it was the office door being unlocked. But it was the padlock, separating her from her sketchbook. Zuko lifted the lid and lifted out Katara's prized possession and handed it to her through the window.

"Yes! Thank you," she smiled.

Zuko locked the box again and threw the mangled bobby pin into the half-filled bin next to the desk. He climbed back out the window. "No worries."

Another click sounded and this time the office door swung open. Zuko and Katara ducked under the ledge below the window and held their breaths. Katara clutched the sketchbook to her chest. She would kill somebody if it was taken off her again. Ms Joo Dee would have to pry it from her cold, dead fingers.

"It's so cold in here! I don't remember opening the window…" Ms Joo Dee's footsteps came towards the window and the two beneath the ledge pressed themselves as close to the wall as they could. "Hmm… what terrible weather."

"Close the window, my dear," Mr Long Feng said. His footsteps came towards the window. "I'll warm you up again."

Ms Joo Dee gave a gasp and a giggle, and a moment later, she slammed the window shut. Zuko and Katara cringed at the thought of what was going on in the office. They glanced sideways at each other and exchanged a traumatized smile. Then, stifling laughter, Zuko grabbed her by the arm and led her away from the window, towards the back of the school grounds.

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Author's Note: Ew, Joo Dee and Long Feng... But anyway, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it, but tell me in a review ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thanks to all of you lovely reviewers out there. I came up with a better summary for the story, so let me know what you think of it. Hope you enjoy this chapter, please remember to leave a review :)

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**Chapter 5**

They left the school behind them and wandered down the wet streets. Katara clutched her sketchbook to her chest to protect it from the rain. They wound up in a run-down skate-park and sat down in the makeshift stadium seats, out of the rain.

"I've never been on this side of Ba Sing Se before," she commented.

"It's not the friendliest neighbourhood."

"Do you come here often?"

He shrugged. "Now and then. When I'm bored. When I need to clear my head."

"Is this your rain?"

He frowned. "_What_?"

Katara giggled. "You said you come here when you need to clear your head. I stand in the rain when I need to clear my head."

Zuko nodded slowly. "I see…" Katara looked down at her sketchbook, a little embarrassed, and played with the corner of the plain black cover. "Can I see the picture you were drawing?"

Katara looked up at him, surprised; she'd forgotten she'd told him about that. Opening the sketchbook, she flicked through the book and found the page. "I only just started. There isn't much except for the outline yet. I can only add the rest of the detail when I colour it."

"It looks good."

"Thanks." She watched him turn the pages back towards the front cover of the book. He gave a small laugh at the picture of King Kuei and the soldiers. "That's why Ms Joo Dee gave me a detention."

Zuko shook his head. "What's wrong with it? You're being honest. They _are_ all just puppets on strings. Even King Kuei."

She nodded in agreement. "I guess it's just hard for the ignorant to accept something they don't know."

Zuko turned back another page, and another, and came to rest on the picture of a bald boy in a hospital bed. "Who's this?"

"That's Aang. I was meant to go and see him after school, but I ended up in stupid detention instead."

Zuko frowned. "I think I recognize him. Where do I know him from?"

Katara shuffled uncomfortably. "Um, his parents were police officers. They were working on the Red Army case and related incidents. They were killed a few years back."

Zuko's brow furrowed and his eyes suddenly widened. "Of course… If they're the people I think they are, they came to my house a few times to question my dad. Was his dad's name Gyatso? I think they might have been the ones who found the connection between the Red Army and my dad."

"Yeah. His name was Gyatso," she said. "Your dad had them assassinated," she added hesitantly.

He nodded. "That doesn't surprise me." He closed the sketchbook and gave it back to her. Katara slipped it into her bag and pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was just after five and the cold was beginning to get to her. An unread message from her brother sat in her inbox. _Where are you? What's for dinner? _It had been sent at 3:45pm, after she'd gone into detention. She sighed loudly. "Do you need to be somewhere?" Zuko asked. She nodded. "Come on. I'll take you back to where you know your way around."

They walked back to the school and walked around the perimeter of the grounds. The rain had let up and the sunlight was breaking through the clouds in some places. Between the tall buildings and carefully planted trees, the walls surrounding the city peeked at them; a constant reminder of the too-structured society keeping them safe from the dangers of the outside world; dangers that his dad was causing, and dangers that her dad was fighting against.

"Where do you need to go?"

"I'll go and visit Aang in the hospital for a little while. Visiting hours end at 8 o'clock, but I'll need to go home and make dinner for Sokka and Gran-Gran before then."

They stepped along the pavement of streets dotted with clothes shops and lunch-menu food getting ready to close for the day, and restaurants and late-night cafes preparing to open for the night.

"Why is Aang in hospital?"

Katara smiled sadly. "He has Leukaemia. It's gotten pretty bad."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

They stopped, standing in front of a quaint café. The bitter scent of coffee and sweet smell of cakes drifted onto the street. "I guess that means you won't come in then."

Katara looked up at the sign pointing into the café. _The Jasmine Dragon_. She'd heard of it before; a nice place for a cup of coffee or tea. Apparently, home to the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se. She shook her head apologetically. "I really should go. Aang is probably wondering where I am."

He nodded. "That's okay. Maybe… maybe some other time?"

Katara smiled sweetly at him. "Maybe."

A man in his late forties walked out of the shop, humming a small tune to himself as he tied his apron up behind him. "Nephew, why are you so late?" he asked, curious, but not the slightest bit seemingly upset. Then he noticed Katara, standing right next to Zuko. "Oh, and who might this be? Zuko, is this your _lady_-friend?"

Zuko suddenly turned beet red and rounded grumpily on the man. "Uncle!" He paused, fumbling for his words. "No, she is _not_ my girlfriend," he said, crossing his arms.

His uncle sighed. "If you say so; I was only asking. What is the young lady's name anyway?"

Zuko cleared his throat and composed himself. "This is Katara. We just had an after-school detention together. Katara, this is my uncle, Iroh. He owns the café here."

Iroh smiled. "Call me Uncle! It is a pleasure to meet you." He bowed to her and Katara felt herself turning a brighter shade of red than she thought possible.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? I make the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se," he claimed, though he did not sound arrogant and humbly bowed his head at his own words.

Zuko shook his head. "She can't."

Katara felt guilty as the older man's face fell again. "I'm very sorry, but thank you. Perhaps another time?" She smiled at Iroh and then at Zuko. "I need to go now, or I'll miss out on visiting hours." He nodded. "Um, it was nice talking with you. Thanks for getting my sketchbook back."

He shrugged. "It wasn't a problem." She smiled uncertainly and turned to leave. The smell of Iroh's café became distant as she walked along the street and she bowed her head to the wind. A soft pitter-patter announced the return of the rain and she prepared to run from sheltered place to sheltered place until she reached the hospital, deciding that it was too cold to stand in the rain again. "Hey!" Katara stopped and turned back. Zuko bit his lip and fumbled for words. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." She felt herself blush again, but she couldn't help but smile. She nodded happily and waved goodbye. Then, she stepped out from the covered area of footpath and started to run.

* * *

Author's Note: I love Iroh. I'm just sayin', the way he reacts every time Zuko is seen with a girl no matter which fanfiction you read or which episode from the series you watch... Aah, I just had to make Zuko call out to her before she was out of sight. He's so awkward and cute! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please remember to leave a review and let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thank you again to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I love hearing feedback, criticism and general thoughts from you, so if you have anything to offer from encouragement and support to constructive tips on how I can improve, feel free to drop it into a review. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

By the time Katara made it to the reception area of the hospital, the rain had drenched her from head to toe and an aching chill was setting into her bones. She rubbed at her arms as she paused to catch her breath and tried to ignore the concerned glances she was receiving from the hospital staff.

"Katara?" a familiar voice said uncertainly.

Katara looked up. "Hey Suki, how are you? When does your shift end? You should stop by for dinner later, I'll save you something. Sokka would love to see you." Suki gave a gentle laugh and looked down at her feet. Katara felt herself stop smiling and straighten up, body going numb to the cold. "Suki, what's wrong?"

With a deep breath, Suki brushed a crease out of her nurse uniform and looked back up at Katara. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"I got stuck in an after-school detention," Katara explained nervously. "Has Aang been asking for me?"

Suki bit her lip. "He asked if I knew why you weren't here yet. Apparently, you were going to come in right after school."

"That's right… I'd meant to, but like I said, the detention…"

There was a tremble in Suki's voice. "He asked for you just before four o'clock." Katara frowned. Suki's lips were shaking and she wasn't looking at her properly like she usually did. "Katara…"

Her eyes went wide. "Where's Aang?!" Suki shook her head and Katara grabbed her by the front of her uniform. "Where is he?!"

"They moved him into Intensive Care just before five. He's on life support." Tears blackened with makeup trickled down Suki's cheeks. She started gasping for air between sobs and Katara let her go.

"What _happened_?"

"I don't know! He asked for you and then he said he didn't feel so well, and Dr Pakku said to give him some morphine and keep an eye on him… and then he just…" Suki faltered and stopped, unable to go on. "He's not waking up. Dr Pakku doesn't know if he'll wake up at all."

Katara realized that something warm was on her face and touched her cheek to find that between the raindrops, she had started crying too. She suddenly felt that she couldn't breathe and started hyperventilating. Suki reached out for her and pulled her into a hug. Other hospital staff and visitors passed them with sympathetic glances. Suki managed to pull herself together enough to lead Katara to where Aang would usually have been so that they could have a little more privacy.

"Sugar Queen? Is that you?" a voice perked up as they came through the door. The small room contained two bed; one, which Aang usually lay in, but which was now empty, and the other, Toph was sitting up in.

"Hi Toph, it's me."

"Suki, you told her, right?"

The young nurse nodded. "Right. I told her as soon as I saw her."

Katara sat in a chair next to Toph's bed and Suki excused herself from the room to get new bandages and ointment for Toph. "How are your eyes?"

She snorted. "Well, they're not getting any better. But that's not important right now. What did Suki tell you? No one has been in here to tell me anything since they moved Aang to Intensive Care. What's going on?"

"Suki told me that Aang's on life support. He's… not waking up."

Toph drummed her fingers silently against the bed-sheets over her legs. "He was asking for you for ages before it happened." There was a long pause and Katara clutched her schoolbag against her, shivering in her still-wet clothes. "Where have you been? You were meant to be here hours ago."

Katara gave a shuddering breathe. "I had an after-school detention. Oh…" She trailed off and bit her lip. "If I knew today would be the day, I would have told Ms Joo Dee where to shove her stupid detention. Aang needed me here, didn't he?" Toph nodded solemnly. Katara's body began to shake with sobs again. "Why didn't I come _straight here_? I might still have had a chance to see him."

"Well, why didn't you?"

Katara stopped her sobs for a moment to think. What had she been doing after the detention to keep her from coming straight to the hospital? Rescuing her sketchbook, the skate park, Zuko. "Oh Spirits no…" Toph waited silently for the explanation. "Why was I so stupid? Why? This one time…"

"What were you doing? Where were you?"

Suki came back to the room and gently pushed Toph back down to her pillow, unwrapping the bandages around her eyes. The skin around the sockets was pink, and her eyelids drooped and trembled in uncertainty of staying open or closing.

"I was just talking with… someone."

"Someone?"

Suki paused in her application of the ointment to the damaged skin. "Who's _someone_?"

"I had detention with a boy. He helped me get my sketchbook back afterwards. And then we just hung around talking for a while before I decided it was getting late and I should really come here." She growled in frustration. "Why didn't I just come straight here?! The sketchbook could have waited!"

Suki put a comforting hand on Katara's arm. "It's okay, Katara."

"It isn't your fault, Sugar Queen."

"This still would have happened, even if you had showed up on time."

"But at least I would have been here to hold his hand. At least I could have said goodbye."

"Hey! He isn't dead yet!" Toph protested. "Don't act as if he's not going to make it through. This is Aang. He's been fighting for years. There's no reason for him to give up now. It's not like the past little while has been any worse than the past year. Not enough for him not to pull through!" There was a long silence in which Suki and Katara glanced nervously at each other, hoping against all hope that Toph was right, and their friend would survive. "Right?" Toph's voice was suddenly quiet and uncertain.

Katara's hand reached out to touch hers. "Right," she whispered.

Suki wrapped the fresh bandage over Toph's eyes and excused herself from the room again. "My shift finishes at eight, when visiting hours are over. I'll see you at the house."

Katara shook her head. "I'll stick around."

Toph settled back against the pillow of her bed for a nap after another nurse came around with dinner. The nurse offered a bowl to Katara, but she wasn't hungry enough to even look at the food. She probably couldn't have eaten if she'd tried. Her stomach felt sick and churned at the thought of Aang and the pain he must have been in. _What it must be like to die._ The empty bed on the other side of the room irked her so much that she felt herself beginning to cry again. But Toph was asleep, and Suki was busy working, and Zuko was back at _The Jasmine Dragon_ café with his uncle Iroh, oblivious to how much she needed someone to just talk to, oblivious to how much she wanted to just talk to him like she had that afternoon.

"But it's his fault," she said to herself. "If I'd just come _here_ instead of walking around with him…"

Katara didn't realize until she was staring at the picture in her sketchbook that she had unzipped her schoolbag at all. She continued working on the image she was drawing for Aang, adding the colours and the detail while she waited for visiting hours to end. Sokka and Gran-Gran could wait for their dinner, and once they found out what had happened, they would understand why she hadn't come home sooner. Once she decided that she'd finished the picture, Suki came in, as if on cue.

"My shift is over. Dr Pakku said you can come and see Aang for a moment if you want, before we leave."

Katara stared blankly up at her and nodded once, gently tearing the picture out and tucking it under her arm while she packed her sketchbook and her art supplies. Her hands had been stained a murky white-blue from colouring the ice and the ocean. Before she stood up, she reached for the bed and gave Toph's hand a final squeeze before leaving the room with Suki. "Bye, Sugar Queen," the sleep-thickened voice whispered.

The hospital was bigger than Katara had realized and she'd lost track of the number of corridors and turns Suki led her through to get to the Intensive Care Unit. Aang was lying bare-chested in a bed, an oxygen mask on his face breathing for him, and a machine near the head of his bed beeping out his feeble heartbeat. Suki stood by and watched as Katara sat down next to him and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, leaving her fingers to trace the faded remains of the blue arrow he'd drawn on his head, days earlier.

With a sigh, his head rolled on the pillow, and his eyes cracked open just a fraction. Katara held her breath as her best friend looked up at her. "Aang?" she whispered hopefully. A smile of joy spread across his lips at the sound of her voice and he closed his eyes again and fell back into his coma.

* * *

Author's Note: Longest chapter so far! I was very tempted to end it there, just like the end of Season 2. Having said that, I was tempted to wrap it up last chapter too. But the plot-bunnies have gone wild and started breeding inside my brain and I may have become slightly infected with ideas for this story. I'm thinking of something a little bit longer than what I'd intended. But that's okay with me. Are you cool with that, readers?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Tell me your thoughts in a review. Hint, hint; if you read the chapter, please leave a review. I love reviews. All writers do. So review!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: A big thank you to all who reviewed last chapter. Your words of encouragement and simply telling me that you're out there enjoying the story means a lot. Now brace yourselves, my pretties; things are about to get... interesting. Happy reading :)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Suki and Katara stopped by a noodle shop; it was too late to start cooking and Sokka would be desperate for food by now. They carried the warm square boxes in plastic bags through the nightlife of the streets. The pitter-patter of rain kept them under sheltered areas of footpath as they moved towards home, and Katara had to resist the urge to cross the street when they came to walk opposite _The Jasmine Dragon_.

"So who was this boy you were hanging out with after detention anyway?" Suki asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Katara tore her eyes away from the café and bowed her head against the wind. "Just a guy from school. He was in detention with me and he helped me get my sketchbook back after Ms Joo Dee confiscated it."

Suki giggled. "That's so cute! Is _he_ cute?"

Katara was taken aback by the question. "Oh… um, yeah, I guess."

"Really? What does he look like?"

She could feel herself blushing as she fumbled to answer the question. "Well, he's tall and his hair is black and … I dunno, he seems well built. But he has this scar…"

"Ooh, did he tell you how he got it? Scars are so cool. How did he get it? A fist fight?"

"His dad burned him."

Suki frowned. "Oh." They walked up the front steps to the house and Katara pushed the door open. "So, who _is_ this guy? He sounds interesting."

Before Katara could answer, Sokka swarmed in on them with complaints and questions. He quickly relieved them of the noodle boxes and Katara followed closely to him to make sure he only ate his share. Suki smacked his hands away from the boxes when he sat down at the table. "Wait for everyone else!" She started setting the table and Katara moved into the next room to find Gran-Gran sitting in a recliner.

"There you are. I was beginning to worry."

"Sorry, Gran-Gran. Suki and I brought dinner home. Come and eat." She helped the elderly woman up and walked slowly with her into the kitchen. The four sat around the table and Sokka quickly grabbed the nearest box of noodles and began to devour its content. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sokka."

"So you should be!" he said with his mouth full. Suki looked at him, unimpressed with the poor manners. "What took you so long?"

"I had an after-school detention with Ms Joo Dee," she explained for what felt like the millionth time. "Then I went to the hospital to see Aang and…" Katara trailed off and bit her lip. She looked down at her box of noddles and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

Gran-Gran placed a hand on her arm. "Is Aang alright?"

Katara looked across the table at Suki, who stared right back. Sokka put down his box of noodles and looked between them. Katara shook her head and felt herself starting to shake with sobs again, but she bit back on them; crying wasn't going to help her friend.

* * *

The evening passed over _The Jasmine Dragon_ with a gentle flow of customers. Zuko watched his uncle's undying smile as he greeted and thanked everyone as they came and as they left and couldn't help but give a little smile himself. A young woman with lose black braids stopped to talk to his uncle. Zuko could hear their soft conversation from where he stood, stooped over a recently vacated table as he cleaned.

"Thank you so much for the tea; it was delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You really do make the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se."

Iroh gave a humble chuckle and thanked her for the compliment. "You're too kind."

"Excuse me, but do you think you could tell me the name of the boy just over there?"

There was a pause in their conversation and Zuko froze and listened a little closer.

"Oh, you mean my nephew, Zuko?"

"Zuko… thank you, Sir."

Zuko straightened up and turned to see the girl bow to his uncle and then turn to look at him. She walked over to him with a bounce in her step and a smile on her bright and friendly face. "Hi there. Zuko, right?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Right…"

"I'm Jin. I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to go out for dinner some time."

It sounded more like a question and Zuko felt himself blush. He fiddled with the piece of cloth he'd used to wipe down the table. "Oh, um…"

Iroh appeared at his elbow. "He'd love to!"

Jin smiled widely. "Great! When can I see you?"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" his uncle asked. Jin nodded. "Zuko, you're not working tomorrow night."

"I'm not?"

"That's right."

"Great! I'll meet you out the front at six," Jin said. She took a step back and bowed politely to them both. "Goodnight." She skipped away, happy and graceful.

Iroh nudged his nephew in the ribs, but Zuko scowled back. "What was that for?"

"You need a lady-friend! You're so tense… I'll bet she could really lighten you up."

"I don't need to lighten up," he said as the last two customers waved goodbye.

"Thank you for coming, have a lovely night!" Iroh called after them. "Zuko, it's only out for dinner. Come on, it will be fun! She seems like a nice girl, doesn't she?" Zuko frowned deeply at him. Iroh sighed. "Just go out with her tomorrow night and I'll let you decide what happens from there."

"Fine. But don't do that again."

Iroh chuckled. "You'll thank me for it later." Zuko doubted it, but said nothing and went to clean another table. "I'll get that. Could you change the bin bags, please?"

Zuko handed the cloth over to his uncle with a nod and disappeared out the back. He relined the bins in the kitchen and dragged the full bags out the back door, snatching up the keys to the dumpster. The door swung shut behind him and he heard it lock and sighed when he realized he'd forgotten the key to let himself back inside. The sensor lights did not come on as he pulled the bags away from the door and he fumbled to find the padlock on the giant bin in the dark.

"Hello, brother," a voice startled him. He spun around and searched the shadows for a figure; for the person he knew that voice belonged to. "Settled in well with Uncle, I see." Azula stepped forward. In the dark, Zuko could see the red uniform-like clothes and the little golden badge which confirmed that she was a member of the Red Army.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

She sulked. "Zuko, it's polite to greet people before you bombard them with questions."

"I'll ask all the questions I want. Where have you been and why are you back?"

She took another step towards him and he could see the smirk her lips formed. "I'm being Dad's eyes in the city here and I would like you to help me." Zuko frowned at her. "Dad misses you, by the way. He asked me to be sure I told you if I ever found you again."

"You found me when you came back to school a few months ago."

"It's too risky to talk about stuff like this at school and you know it."

"Stuff like _what_?"

Azula sighed impatiently. "Why so hostile, Zuko? Don't you love your little sister anymore?"

"My sister deserted me three years ago along with my father. As far as I'm concerned, Uncle is the only family I have left. It's pretty obvious I'm not good enough for you and Dad and I'm done trying to please him or be as good as you."

Azula laughed. The sound was cruel in the damp night air. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, brother."

"Don't call me that."

She ignored him. "Anyway, Dad and I want your help. We need to find as much information about King Kuei as we can and relay it to him. I've already made a start, but there are some files up in the palace that I want to get my hands on and I can't do it on my own. I'm not stupid enough to try, either."

"Well, you're going to have to find someone else. I'm not helping you." Zuko turned back to the dumpster and found the padlock, turned the key and threw the bags in. The sound of the lock clicking into place again sounded so final that Zuko almost felt relieved. But Azula was still standing there when he turned back around. "You should leave," he said. He pushed past her and tried to push the door open again. He'd forgotten; it was locked.

"You know, Dad would really appreciate it if you helped out. I mean, come on, Zuko, we're your family."

"Family?" he said, rounding on her. "I haven't seen either of you in three years until you showed up back at school. I lost half of my face to _him_. What kind of a family is that?"

"He's sorry that he left you behind, Zuko."

"_Sorry_?"

"He regrets it. And he regrets lashing out at you like that," Azula said, straight-faced, unsmiling. "He wants you to join us again." Zuko frowned and faced the locked door again, thinking. She couldn't be serious. But if she was… "If you help me get those files, our work here will be done and I can get you out of this place and take you back to Dad. He would welcome you with open arms if you helped us now." Zuko didn't turn around. He could feel her staring at his back, waiting for him to cave in and surrender himself to what she wanted. "It's your choice, Zuko. Let me know when you've made it."

Zuko listened to her footsteps fade away and closed his eyes. He put his hands out and leaned against the shut door, confused, lost. _What am I supposed to do? _

* * *

Author's Note: Aaaaaand a big welcome to Sokka, Gran-Gran, Jin and Azula. What did you all think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Meh?

Can anyone guess where I'm going to take this story? I'd love to hear what you think, so if you think you might be reading my mind, or want to offer any suggestions (I'll give you shout outs if I use your suggestions).


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter. Sorry for how long it took me to get this one up; final year, exams only a month or so away, I'm sure you can feel for me and find it in your hearts to forgive me for being a little distracted. Hope you enjoy this little installment.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Katara was out of bed late the next morning. She didn't feel like going to school. All she wanted to do was return to the hospital and sit by Aang's bedside. Surely he'd wake up soon, and she'd finally be able to give him the picture. Katara ran her fingers over the artwork and tucked it into a plastic pocket on her desk. Aang's puppy, Momo, had a bad habit of rummaging through her belongings and chewing on things he shouldn't, but Katara had quickly learned that the creature she was babysitting for her friend while he was sick didn't like plastic. The picture would be safe.

Ms Joo Dee gave her a dirty look as she came late into her first class. Katara made a mental note not to open her school-bag too wide or take her sketchbook out, just in case the smiling woman realizing it was no longer in her confiscation box. She sat down and started her work, feeling sluggish and unable to concentrate. Outside, the clouds from the previous day had cleared to make way for the sunlight. The clear blue sky made her smile for a moment. Yesterday had reminded her of home in the south, and today reminded her why she could appreciate pleasant weather. By recess, she wished it would rain again, but the horizon showed no signs of hope.

Suki was not at school; she'd explained to Katara the night before that the hospital was low on staff after an outbreak of pentapox. She'd been forced to take the rest of the week off of school to help cover for the absentees. Without Suki around, Katara found Sokka joining in a game of frizzbee with a group of boys. Katara recognized Jet among the gathering and wrinkled her nose when he waved at her. She wandered around the school complex and found herself absently walking towards the back fence where she and Zuko had walked the afternoon before. A boy sat against the metal wires as if waiting for her, head bowed over a book and black mop of hair hanging over his eyes.

"Hey," Zuko said, lifting his head and tucking the book away. "I didn't see you there."

Katara stopped and looked hesitantly over her shoulder. "Sorry, I was just wandering around. I didn't realize you were there either."

He gave a soft chuckle and stood up awkwardly. "Um… did you make it to the hospital?"

"Oh… yeah, I did." She bit her lip.

Zuko frowned at her. "You don't sound too happy about that. Is everything alright?"

She shrugged. "I finished the picture I was drawing for Aang."

A flicker of a smile crossed his lips. "What does he think of it?"

"I wouldn't know. Something happened not long before I got there and he'd slipped into a coma."

Zuko rubbed his arm uncomfortable. "Sorry to hear that." She just shrugged again and didn't look back up at him. "How are you holding up?" Katara scowled up at him and then dropped her eyes back to the ground. Zuko leaned back against the fence. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," she blurted out.

He rose an eyebrow and put his hands up defensively. "I didn't mean sorry like _that_. I didn't _do_ anything to be sorry for."

"If you'd just let me go straight to the hospital after detention -"

"Hang on a minute, how is that _my_ fault?" he cut in.

"You -"

"I was rescuing your stupid sketchbook, which I didn't _have_ to do!"

"You -"

"No, you're right. Whatever. I'm the bad guy. Ozai's son, Red Army supporter, blah, blah, blah."

"Alright, stop it!" Katara yelled. "Just stop it." Zuko scowled at her as he leaned in to the fence, waiting for her to talk. "I'm just... I'm sorry, I'm just upset that I wasn't there for Aang when he needed me."

Zuko gave a heavy sigh, as if calming himself. "I'm sorry I kept you so long yesterday."

"No. It isn't your fault, just… just, don't worry." Her anger quickly faded and she started backing away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over here."

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. Stay." He reached forward and gently grabbed her forearm. She didn't resist his touch and glanced up at him again. Their eyes met and she noticed a faint tint rise in his cheeks. "Um… sit down with me."

Katara gave a weak smile. The grass was still damp from the rain, but it didn't worry her. "What were you reading?"

Zuko shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket to extract the book and read from the cover, "_Omashu: The Story of a War-Torn Love_. It's not my pick," he added quickly. "I have to study it for literature."

"You do literature?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah…" She gave a giggle. "What's so funny?" He scowled at her.

Katara shook her head. "Nothing. I just didn't picture you as the literature type."

"You got a problem with my classes?"

"No, not at all!"

Zuko smirked and tucked the book back into his jacket. "I guess you don't do literature then."

"I do, actually," she said proudly. "My class is studying _The Dancing Dragons_."

"That's a good book. I had to study it a couple of years back too."

She frowned. "Not my kind of book."

"No?"

"Too much male dominance for me." Zuko raised an eyebrow at her and she started laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a walking, talking political statement if you hadn't noticed."

Zuko shook his head. "It's okay. I like it."

"I mean, you've seen my sketchbook..."

"Yeah. I didn't mean that earlier, by the way, when I said your sketchbook was stupid. It's not."

"No, it's not." She played with a blade of grass for a moment. "Thank you."

Somewhere behind them, the bell for class rang. They walked back to the building in silence and went their separate ways to get their books, only to pass each other again on their way to class. The hallways were deserted and they were late. "What class do you have now?" she asked, leaning against a locker.

"Psychology with Ms Joo Dee. Joy of joys."

Katara cringed. "Sounds like fun."

"Yourself?"

She rolled her eyes. "Science with Mr Long Feng." Zuko grinned and started walking towards his classroom again. "What are you doing tonight?"

Zuko stopped and turned to face her again. He frowned in thought and tired to place the answer to her question. "Um, I'm going out to dinner with a girl." He noticed the slight drop in her smile and felt bad for saying it. "It's Uncle's fault; he set me up," he quickly added.

Katara pursed her lips and smiled. "Have fun."

* * *

Author's Note: And a touch of jealousy to help kick things into gear... A little more tugging at each other's throats and they'll be lip-locked, I promise. Zuko might be going out to tea with Jin, but Katara is well on the way to... well, you'll see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review :)


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: My apologies for not updating in a while. There is less than a month until final exams down here in Australia, so I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me. Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter, I hope you continue to enjoy this one :)

Also: A quick shout-out to BrooklynSays who kindly asked that I help get a little attention over to their new, first A:TLA fanfic.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The Intensive Care Unit was much different to the ward Aang had been in earlier. It was more impersonal and somewhat scarier with all of the machines and chords and needles and sounds. The patients seemed hopeless and lifeless in their beds, in their comas, in their crippled bodies. Aang's skin was paler than Katara had ever seen it, the dark circles beneath his eyes prominent and the ominous machine beside his bed the only thing keeping him alive. Katara ran a hand over her friend's face.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," she whispered. A tear escaped her eyes and she swiped it away angrily; crying wasn't going to help her friend. "I'm sorry."

She felt Suki place a hand on her shoulder. "Dr Pakku said I can go home." She looked at Aang, lost in unconsciousness. "Come on, before it gets too late. It's almost six o'clock." Katara nodded and followed the young nurse through the endless corridors of the hospital.

The streets of Ba Sing Se were crowded with people who had been deterred from coming out in the rain the night before, but Suki led them home along the same paths. Katara glanced across the road when they came to walk opposite _The Jasmine Dragon_ and she felt herself smile sadly.

* * *

Zuko stepped out of the little café, well dressed and bearing a single pink flower. Jin approached him with a smile and greeted him. She accepted the flower and messed his hair, much to his disgruntlement. Before he could say much more, she took his arm and started leading him down the street. Zuko looked around helplessly for a way out, but only found Katara, standing across the road, a sad smile on her face. The girl looked away from him and continued walking along her own path and Zuko wished he hadn't looked around.

Dinner passed awkwardly with his date. "Where do you go to school? What subjects do you do?" He sighed inwardly at each question. "So, Zuko, do you have a girlfriend?"

"What? Oh, no, I don't."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Really."

She looked thoughtfully at her for a moment. A waiter approached them and bowed politely. "Excuse me, sir, would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?"

Zuko felt himself choke on a morsel of food and abruptly slammed his cutlery down, red-faced. "She is _not_ my girlfriend!" The waiter put his hands up defensively and backed away. Zuko scowled down at his plate for a moment until he heard Jin clear her throat. Quickly, he tired to recompose himself and looked up, hoping that he hadn't upset her. "Sorry, I'm just a little flustered, I didn't mean to yell that out."

She laughed. "That's okay. Is this the first time you've ever been on a date?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, you're doing pretty well. You dressed nicely and gave me a flower. You were on time for meeting up. You're not very talkative, but I figured that much out before I introduced myself last night. I'm enjoying tonight so far anyway."

He smiled weakly. "Glad to hear it."

When they finished dinner, the city was lamp-lit and the crowded streets had mostly emptied. Jin held his arm tightly as they walked together and led him into a quiet little park.

"There's a really nice coffee stall set up here during the day," she said. "But it's not nearly as nice as your uncle's café."

Zuko chuckled. "Nothing beats Uncle."

In the middle of the park was a gently flowing water fountain. Candles and lanterns sat bobbing on the water, reflecting their light into the surrounding darkness. Zuko noticed a candle that had been put out and held it against another to light it again. He placed it gently in the water again before turning back to Jin. She was standing closer than he'd expected and he felt his cheeks flush.

"It's really beautiful here. I love it. It's my favourite place in the world." Jin stepped closer and he quietly wished he felt the urge to smile as much as she did. She seemed so happy, just living, being there, lifting a hand to touch his face. He didn't feel happy. She leaned her face towards him and Zuko closed his eyes. He felt the slightest shock rush through him as their lips met and he pulled back just an inch, hesitating. His eyes opened and he looked down to see the sadness his hesitation caused her. Swallowing his pride, Zuko lifted one hand to the side of her face and closed his eyes again. The kiss he gave her was soft and warm. He could feel her smiling into his lips. She felt nice. But it didn't feel the way it should have. Zuko pulled away. "What's wrong?"

He took a step back, eyes on the ground, stepping back again. "It's complicated," he blurted out. "I have to go." He left Jin by the fountain in the park and ran all the way back to _The Jasmine Dragon_. He came in through the back doors and slunk to the upstairs apartment where he and his uncle lived and shut himself in his room. He heard his uncle's footsteps hours later and pretended to be asleep.

"Zuko, I didn't hear you come in. How was your night?"

With a sigh, Zuko rolled over and opened his eyes. "It was nice." He didn't look at his uncle and the man understood that it was not to be spoken of again.

He saw Katara the next day and stared intently at the floor of the school corridor beneath his feet. "How was your date last night?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," he murmured, looking back up at her.

"That bad, huh? Well, she looked pretty anyway."

He shrugged. "There's another girl I would rather have been with." He felt himself blushing as soon as he'd said it and quickly fumbled for something to add. "I mean, like, there are plenty of other girls out there who… Um…"

Katara raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not sure whether to feel flattered or offended."

"The first one, please." She giggled and he shook his head at himself. "Well, how was your night then?"

Katara shrugged. "It was alright. I went to see Aang in the hospital and then I went home to make dinner for the family. Very exciting," she said sarcastically.

"How is Aang?"

She shook her head. "Just the same as yesterday. He hasn't woken up."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be." There was a long pause in which Ms Joo Dee passed them by and gave them what would have been a stern look if it hadn't been for the Botox. Katara suppressed a sardonic laugh and smirked to herself.

"Can I see the picture?" Zuko suddenly asked.

She was slightly taken aback. "Which one?"

"The one you drew for Aang. The one of the sunrise in your home back south."

She nodded. "Right. I keep forgetting I told you about that."

Zuko smiled. "Well, can I see it?"

"It's at home." She thought for a moment. "What are you doing tonight? Do you have work?"

"No, and I am _not_ going out to dinner with a girl."

"In that case, you can follow me home and I'll show you the picture."

He raised his eyebrow at her. "You sure you want the son of the Red Army leader to know where you live?"

Katara raised an eyebrow back at him. "I think you're man enough to hold your tongue and keep the information to yourself."

He smirked. "Okay then, I'll meet you after school."

* * *

Author's Note: Can you tell that I love messing around with characters, making them all jealous and and confused? Awwwh Zuko is so cute when he's awkward. And he's going to follow Katara home tonight, oh la la. Well, what did you all think of this chapter? Leave a review and let me know! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hi all, thank you for your kind reviews last chapter and I hope you will enjoy this installment. I've come to the verdict that there should end up being somewhere between 15 and 20 chapters all together. Dig in!

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**Chapter 10**

Sokka went to the hospital after school to visit Aang and Toph and annoy Suki while she worked. With this lucky coincidence, Katara didn't bother to explain who Zuko was or why he was following her home. Gran-Gran was asleep on her recliner and Momo barked excitedly, running around in circles at the sight of Zuko. "Momo, _shh!_" Katara hissed, checking to make sure Gran-Gran hadn't been disturbed. She slept soundly and Katara led Zuko up to her bedroom, picking Momo up as she closed the door behind her.

"It's very blue in here," he remarked, eyes looking for a different colour on her walls.

"I like blue. What of it?" Zuko just shook his head. "I have the picture here," she said, picking it up in the plastic pocket. At the sound of the crackling plastic, Momo wriggled free of her arms and hid underneath her bed. "He hates plastic."

"I see…" Gently, he took the picture from her hands. "This is really good."

"I wish I could give it to Aang already. I don't want to leave it around for him to find if he happens to wake up either; I have to be the one to give it to him."

Zuko nodded to himself. "You must really care about him."

"I do."

"Do you love him?"

She laughed. "Of course I do. He's my best friend."

"Well that's not really what I meant; I mean are you guys… a thing?"

"A thing?" She cocked her eyebrow.

"Yeah… you know. Like, dating or whatever," he shrugged.

Katara shook her head. "We're not together. Not in that way. He's a great kid, don't get me wrong, but… I just can't look at him like _that_."

They stood awkwardly for a moment and Zuko put Katara's picture back down on her desk. Her room was clean but cluttered; there was nothing out of place on the floor and her bookshelf and desks seemed to be in some sort of ordered chaos. Her art supplies were spread out on top of a drawer and there was a whole shelf dedicated to holding sketchbooks. Zuko stepped towards them. "How many of these have you filled?"

"A few. And that's only in the past year or so. I left a lot behind in the south, but my older stuff wasn't anything special. I'm a much better artist now."

Zuko reached a hand out towards the shelves and hesitated. "Can I…?"

"Go ahead."

He plucked one gently from the shelf and sifted slowly through the pages, smiling and nodding his approval as he examined every drawing and sketch the book contained. There were at least five completely full sketchbooks. When he pulled the last one off the shelf, he found that it was empty and stared back up at Katara.

"How often do you get a new sketchbook?"

"I always make sure I have a new one or three at the ready. I don't like running out of paper to draw on."

"I can see why." Zuko put the empty sketchbook back on the shelf and opened the half-filled one that Katara had been taking to school. He thumbed through the pictures he'd already seen, leaning carefully against the drawer topped with art supplies. When he found the picture of Aang again, he stopped and shut the book. "I feel like I'm preventing you from visiting him tonight."

Katara shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I'd like to go and see him, but I think I'll start going a little crazy if I sit in a room with only a comatose boy for company every afternoon."

He put the book down and rubbed the back of his neck. Nervously, he cleared his throat and made an uncertain gesture with his hands. Slowly, he said, "Would you like to visit him with some more, uh, _lively_ company?" A sheepish half-smile broke through his scowling face as he looked up, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. But she was smiling and a soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I'd like that." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fiddled with a lose button on her shirt. "Would you…?" She cut herself short and looked at him properly, seriously.

He smirked. "Only if you want me to."

Biting her lip, she turned to examine herself quickly in the mirror. She let her hair out and tugged a hairbrush through it. Zuko watched her pick out a warmer jacket and change into more comfortable shoes. He stood awkwardly against the door, wondering how her brother might react if he walked in now.

_It could be worse_, he though. _She could be getting undressed and changing her outfit completely._ Their eyes met briefly from across the room as she finished adjusting her clothes and Zuko looked away with a blush. _Then again, I'd probably like that…_

Katara stood in front of him and looked up expectantly. For a moment, Zuko wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself. But when she raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, he remembered he was standing in front of the door and quickly stepped aside, opening it for her with a quiet apology.

Katara remembered the way to the Intensive Care Unit better than she had the day before and was glad; a stumble like that in front of Zuko would have embarrassed her. She peeked at him over her shoulder and watched the way he walked, slouched over, head down; the gait of an outcast. When they reached the ICU, he hesitated before approaching Aang's bed.

"You okay?" she asked nervously.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just a little weird."

"What is?"

Zuko stepped up to her and looked into the peaceful face of Aang, pale and unmoving in his hospital bed. "Knowing that my father is the person who killed his parents."

There was a heavy silence between them as they watched the sleeping boy. Katara sat down next to his bed and pulled his hands into hers, rubbing his fingers gently. "I want him to wake up already, so that I can give him the picture."

Hesitantly, Zuko sat down next to her. "What are the chances he won't wake up?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it."

Zuko shuffled in his seat. "Do you think he'd hold it against me?"

"What?"

"My father killing his parents."

Katara shook her head again. "I doubt it. He's very forgiving. I mean, he was devastated by what happened to them; everyone who knew them was. But he wouldn't blame you, Zuko. It wasn't you." She glanced sideways at him. He stared unblinkingly at the younger boy. "Zuko?"

"Sorry," he murmured. "It was my father. And I never stopped him from doing the things he did. I guess it may as well have been me." He thought of the lifeless boy in front of him. This was no different to what Aang would look like if he'd gotten in his father's way. This was a less-bloody version of what his parents would have looked like after they'd interfered with Ozai and the Red Army.

A cool hand was placed on his arm and he blinked himself out of the trance. "Zuko, it wasn't your fault. Nothing your father has done is your fault."

He stared silently at her for a moment, frowning, before he turned back to Aang. "I know. But I can't help feeling otherwise."

"Come on," she said, standing. "We should go. I'm sorry, I should have known this would make you uncomfortable."

He shook his head as he stood with her. "No, don't be sorry, Katara. Hey, I was the one who suggested I come with you." They stook awkwardly and Katara looked down at her shoes. "I've ruined your night now, haven't I?"

She shrugged. "It's okay. I wouldn't say _ruined_."

"I messed up. Per usual," he sulked. He took a step back from her. "I'm sorry. I should go."

"Wait," she called, a little more desperately than she'd meant. She caught him by the forearm. "Don't." He looked down at the slender cool fingers and her olive skin against his own fair complexion. Katara fumbled for words, and Zuko felt himself blushing at the prolonged physical contact. "Make it up to me," she blurted out. "Take me out for dinner or something," she said, thinking fast. A moment later she felt herself turn red.

But Zuko smiled at her, lopsidedly, but smiling nonetheless. "Okay."

Her fingers slipped away from his arm and they made their way down the corridors away from the ICU. In the reception area of the hospital, Katara caught sight of Suki in her nurse uniform and had to hide the sudden panic on her face.

"Hey, Katara! Sokka just went home. My shift ends at eight, could you save me some dinner?" she asked as she came over to them. Eyeing Zuko, she smirked. "Who's this?"

"Gran-Gran said she would cook tonight. And I'm not going to be home for dinner." She gave her companion a sidelong glance. "This is Zuko… he's taking me out for dinner."

"Oh," Suki said. "That's okay, Gran-Gran always remembers to save food for me when she cooks. So, Zuko… do you go to our school? I swear I've heard your name before…"

He shuffled awkwardly. "Yeah, I do go to your school. You probably don't see much of me though. I keep to myself mostly."

Suki gave a soft chuckle and winked at Katara. "Well, stop being such a stranger. Katara's told me that you're her new _friend_ so you should definitely come by the house sometime and meet the rest of the family. I'm sure I can convince Sokka to let you date his sister."

"Suki!" Katara squealed, mortified. But her friend only laughed.

"I'll meet you back at the house."

With an indignant grunt, Katara agreed. "Fine… Um, could you do me a favour and not tell Sokka yet? I don't want him to freak out without me there to defend myself…"

She nodded. "Don't worry. I won't say a thing." She smirked smugly between them. "You two behave. Run along now." She disappeared down a corridor to continue her work, leaving the pair to glance awkwardly at each other, faces red and caught somewhere on the verge of laughter.

* * *

Author's Note: Some subtle Zutara beginning to hint about there, asking if Katara and Aang are a thing, thinking that he might like it if she got undressed, telling him to take her out for dinner... Even Suki supports Zutara here! Speaking of Zutara, I keep forgetting to tell you guys to JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! See my profile for more info, but I started the Team years ago.

More Zutara goodness to come :) Please leave a review, and if anyone wants to check out a new fic by another pretty cool author, BrooklynSays has just started posting her first fanfic, Reunion, and I reckon she's a pretty good writer. Go and give her your support if you have a spare moment. But REVIEW HERE FIRST!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Thank you to all who reviewed, though I'm a little sad that there were only two reviewers last chapter, compared to seven on the first. Please, if you are reading this fic, don't be afraid to leave a review, even if it's something really short. I don't like updating without at least three reviews. I know there are enough people following and reading this story for provide me with that much. Please? :)

In other news... omg, last day of school! I'm excited. My exams start next week so I might be a little bit dead to fanfic. But my absence will not be for long! Now, read my pretties, read!

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**Chapter 11**

_The Jasmine Dragon_ was just as quaint and peaceful as Katara had suspected. They became a part of the steady flow of customers and sat across from each other at a small table. The afternoon was quickly disappearing into the night, and streetlamps and shop-lights were starting to compensate for the lack of sun. A tiny dinner candle flickered on the table between them, and Zuko ran the tip of his finger back and forth over the top of the flame.

"Doesn't it burn you?" He shook his head. "I've seen my brother do that trick before too, but I've never been game enough to try it."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm afraid of getting burned."

Zuko gave a low chuckle. "You don't have to be afraid. That's the only reason you _will_ get burned. It's easy; you just have to be quick." He demonstrated again, running his finger over the small flame. He showed her his fingertip, just as unmarred as the rest of the pale skin on his hand: it showed no resemblance whatsoever to the scar across the left side of his face. "Do you want to try it?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. How fast is fast enough not to get burned?"

"Well don't hold your finger over it and leave it there."

She scowled at him. "Duh."

"Just trust your instincts." He demonstrated again and then sat back in his chair to watch her expectantly.

Katara took a deep breath and leaned towards the little candle. She held one finger out to the side of it and had to resist the urge to close her eyes. Quickly, she swished it over the tiny flame. Beneath her finger, she felt the warmth of the fire. It was soothing and not at all painful. She swished her finger over it again. And again. The fear dissipated and she let go of that held breath.

"See? It's not so bad."

She folded her hands on the table in front of her. "I guess I'm just used to things that are cold."

"How about tea? Will you drink that hot?"

Katara laughed. "Of course I will."

* * *

Iroh waved to them as they left _The Jasmine Dragon_ and Zuko led her to a take-away shop. With sushi and a bowl of fried rice to share, they began walking aimlessly around Ba Sing Se.

"I just don't feel like sitting down tonight. I've been sitting down too much lately," said Katara. "It's too noisy and busy to sit down anywhere around here."

They found some quieter streets to wander down and passed the bowl of rice between each other, talking about nothing and everything. "My Uncle used to go to that place with his wife and son all the time, and they'd go and sit in the park under the trees. But it got too dangerous and they had to stop after someone tried to mug them once."

"That's sad," Katara frowned. "I'd never eaten in a restaurant or form a take-away place before I moved here. Down south, we just don't have that sort of thing."

"Really?" he said incredulously. "I've been surrounded by that sort of stuff my whole life. I don't think I can really imagine a place without it. Huh… I guess there's a lot of things we here in the city take for granted."

She nodded. "The sun. I just can't appreciate it anymore, because I see it too often here."

"And it's something everyone else just expects to see every day."

Katara chewed slowly at a mouthful of rice as Zuko took the bowl from her. "Does being so used to the sun make you appreciate the rain instead?"

He frowned. "I don't think so. I mean, I don't mind water or anything. But rain is just an inconvenience to most people here." She gave a soft chuckle at that. "I think I'm starting to develop a new appreciation for it though," he said.

"Why's that?"

He passed the rice back to her. "What you keep saying about too much sunlight, and rain helping you to think clearly." He shrugged. "I guess you've given me a different perspective on it that I've never really thought of before."

Katara raised a doubtful eyebrow. "You're just saying that."

He shook his head. "No. After detention the other day, what you said… it made me think. Especially after we went to the skate-park. There's not much difference. The skate-park is my rain." She gave a soft giggle. He scowled at her. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, it just sounded a little cliché is all."

He snorted. "You're the one who likes standing in the rain to help you think."

"What of it?"

"You can't tell me that isn't cliché," he said, taking the bowl of fried rice from her hand.

"Whatever!" She snatched the bowl back, but he saw the grab coming and held fast. Somewhere between their fingertips, the bowl dropped and its contents spilled out onto the ground.

"Good job!" he spat.

Katara huffed. "Well I'm sorry! Hey, it's your fault too."

"Really? How?"

"You wouldn't let me take the bowl!"

"You were snatching!"

"So?"

"So why should I have let you take it?"

She let out a growl. "Why do you have to make such a huge deal out of it? It's just a bowl of rice. It's not like there was that much left anyway."

"Well jeez, I just thought I'd try and put a bit of effort into our first date by buying you dinner, I'm sorry if I'm just a little upset that it went to waste!" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Whatever, I – … wait, our first _what_?"

Zuko stopped short and closed his mouth slowly. He looked awkwardly at the ground between them and felt his face going red. Katara's eyes bore into him and he waited for her to look away. But her stare was relentless, and eventually he would have to look up at her. He took the plunge. Even in her anger and in her confusion, the blue of her eyes was breathtaking. It was like the sky when the clouds had cleared in the late afternoon of a rainy day, just before the sun was setting, just before the sky started turning all those other magical colours. She watched him, expectantly, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and disgust. Zuko couldn't find words.

After a moment she gave a short laugh. "Whatever. I'm going home." She turned around and started walking back they way they'd come.

"Katara! Hey wait!" he moved after her and caught her by the wrist. "Just wait a sec, look, I'm sorry, just –"

She wrenched her arm free of his grip. "Let me go! Stay away from me." She backed away and he stayed frozen to the spot. She started jogging back the way they came. He let her go and watched the night encase her slowly. But as her figure began to fade into the darkness, he saw somebody else, slender, hooded and stealthy, following her.

* * *

Author's Note: Uh-oh, who's stalking Katara? Anyone want to chance a guess in a review? Please, if you are reading, leave a review. **I'm not updating until I get three reviews.** So if you want to see Zutara prevail, there's a little text box down the bottom of this page. Use it! :)


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Oh my goodness! When I put the note out last chapter asking people to pretty please review, I was NOT expecting that much of a response. Whoa, guys I am so grateful and flattered and happy. I think you all deserve some Zutara goodness as a reward, so let's get on with it. Longest chapter so far! Let's get reading and I hope you enjoy :)

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**Chapter 12**

Within minutes, Katara deemed herself thoroughly lost. The streets she found herself wandering down were dark and unfamiliar, in a part of Ba Sing Se she didn't know by day. She was tired and the air was chilly. To make things worse, the smell of rain clung to the air, and the stars and moon were completely obscured by clouds; it was going to start pouring down on her any minute. All she wanted to do was go home and forget about her hazardous afternoon.

_What was so hazardous about it?_ She thought to herself. She turned a corner and slowed down for a moment, but a prickling feeling at the back of her neck convinced her to speed up again. Someone was watching her; she could feel it. But as she peeked over her shoulder, she was met with nothing but darkness. _This is weird…_ She turned another corner and looked around for anything that might be familiar, or a street-sign she might recognize. Instead, she realized half-way down that she'd turned not into a street, but into a court; a dead end. Her breath hitched for a moment as that prickling feeling of being watched returned. She didn't stop moving forward, despite the dead end ahead of her. If she turned around now, she'd panic. But it was inevitable, wasn't it? She'd have to turn around eventually and face whoever was following her.

_Or maybe not,_ she sighed inwardly as she noticed the narrow footpath between two high wooden fences at the very back of the court. She could see right through to the other side. Katara quickened her pace and powered on through to the place on the other side. For the thirty odd second it took to walk along the narrow footpath between the fences, the prickling feeling on her back became almost unbearable and she had to hold her breath. She couldn't take it and for a split-second, she glanced over her shoulder. It was a long enough moment to catch sight of the slim silhouette standing at the entrance to the path between the fences. Without thinking, she ran.

Once Katara was free of the claustrophobia of the fences, she found herself in a park. She didn't stick to the footpaths as she ran on through. Nothing looked familiar and all she could think of was not letting whoever was following her catch up. No running in circles. She had to keep going in the same direction, at least until she knew where she was. In the end, she was running through tall, un-kept grass and small bushes. She could feel the tug of snatching weeds at her clothes, and the way branches and thorns scratched at her skin.

All too suddenly, she stumbled into the open and found herself on a path once again. There was a pool of light; literally. Before her on the path was a fountain, filled with bobbing lanterns and candles. Katara had to blink to adjust her vision to the dazing light. Then, with a start, she remembered the silhouette and the feeling of being followed. She scampered to her feet and launched herself forward along the path, only to collide violently with a tall, dark figure. She let out a scream. A warm hand clamped itself over her mouth and she thrashed and kicked as strong arms snaked around her body.

"_Shh_!" came the person's hiss. "It's me!"

She froze at the sound of his voice and felt the panic coursing through her body subside. Instead of trying to break free, she clung to his arm, her legs almost giving out beneath her. "Zuko?" she choked out past his hand.

He swung her around to face him. "Are you okay?"

"Someone was following me," she stuttered, glancing back over her shoulder and sweeping her eyes around the perimeter of light from the fountain.

"I know," he said. "I saw them go after you. I tried to follow, but you both disappeared. I was starting to freak out, I –" He cut himself off and bit his lip, looking around them.

"What?" Katara asked desperately, thinking he'd spotted her stalker.

"Nothing… I was just going to say I thought they were going to hurt you," he said sheepishly.

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment and Zuko kept his hands around her arms a little tighter than necessary. They both scanned their surroundings over and over, flinching at each noise the night made. Katara gave a shiver and not a moment later, a soft pitter-patter announced the arrival of rain. She sighed. "Can we get out of here, please?"

"Are you scared?" he asked, gently. She nodded. "This place is starting to give me the creeps too. Let's go." He didn't let go of her. Instead, he wrapped one arm behind her and led her away. She could still feel that prickling feeling of being watched. "You're shaking. Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I think they're still following us." They both glanced behind them, but saw nothing, no one. They walked a little faster. Within minutes, the rain had picked up. The violent beating all around them made it hard to distinguish one sound from another, but a noticeably loud splash behind them caused them to look back again. Still, they saw nothing.

Zuko glanced at her, "Run?" She nodded. He grabbed her by the wrist and they sped forward. Zuko led her along the footpaths. Every time they changed directions, she almost hesitated, almost refused to go anywhere but straight ahead. Almost: not quite.

"Do you actually know where you're going?" she called to him over the rain and the slapping of their feet against the wet concrete.

"Yes, I know this place. This is the park I was telling you about earlier, where my Uncle and his family almost got mugged."

The feeling of being watched eventually faded and Katara stopped feeling the need to glance back over her shoulder. They came out onto the streets of Ba Sing Se and Katara finally found herself in a familiar place. Zuko slowed them to a fast walk as Katara's exhaustion left him dragging her along. The streets were empty and the shop-lights were mostly out. "How long was it from when I left to when I ran into you again?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"I'm not sure. It felt like forever. I was looking everywhere trying to find you again."

As if on cue, a deep chiming of a bell announce the late hour of eleven. "I must have been lost back there for hours," she said, frowning. She saw an unlit sign above the pavement ahead that read _The Jasmine Dragon_, but before they could pass it, Zuko pulled her off the street and down an alleyway. "Where are we going?" she asked, a hint of panic rising once again.

"Back here. The front doors will be locked by now." Around the back of the buildings were large waste bins. They looked menacing in the darkness, as if some strange monster would burst out of one, grab Katara by the hair and drag her back in with it. She pressed herself closer to Zuko. He was warm and the high walls surrounding them didn't feel so overbearing. She didn't feel like someone was following them anymore. Zuko found a key hidden under a soggy doormat. "Uncle must have gone up to bed and left it for us… well, me." She gave a half-hearted laugh as he unlocked the door and held it open for her.

Katara stepped inside and as soon as the door was closed behind them, she felt the warmth of a kitchen washing over her and the scent of tea invaded her lungs. She sighed with relief. To the left of the door was a small passageway with a flight of stairs. Zuko led her up into a reddish brown walled room. An arrangement of comfortable couches surrounded a coffee table, and an old T.V sat on a stand in one corner.

"Is this your room?" she asked quietly as he led her through another door.

"Yeah… come through here."

Katara followed him into a small ensuite bathroom and handed her a towel. She buried her face in the soft material and closed her eyes for a moment. "What a night…" she murmured. She straightened up and caught sight of herself in a small mirror over the sink. "I look horrendous."

He chuckled. "You don't look too bad," he said. "Just a little scratched up and dishevelled." Katara gave a small shiver. "And cold," he added. He kicked his shoes off and left them on the bathroom floor before brushing past her. "I'll turn the heater on. Um… you're soaked. I can lend you one of my shirts if you want," he offered. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I can put your clothes near the heater so they'll dry overnight."

Katara smiled. "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Thank you."

He turned the heater on and passed her a shirt and a pair of loose-fitting tracksuit pants. She peeled the wet clothes off her body slowly, trying to control her shaking. The bathroom was cold, and a small part of her wished Zuko had stayed to hold her. He was so warm… She dried herself and pulled the borrowed clothes over her head. The shirt was a faded red and the tracksuit pants were at least a size too big. Katara tried to adjust her damp hair in the mirror, but without a brush or the energy to sort the tangled mess, she gave up and stepped out of the bathroom.

Zuko's room had warmed up quickly and he was already changed, his own wet clothes hanging in front of the heater to dry. He took her school-dress from her and hung it too. When he turned back to her, she realized how close she was standing and blushed. "Sorry," she murmured, taking a step back.

"Don't be," he said. Zuko stepped towards her. "I messed tonight up a lot. I'm the one who should be sorry. And… I am."

Katara glanced up at him with a flickering smile. "It's okay. I'm sorry that I ran off on you."

He shook his head. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I made you uncomfortable. And I shouldn't have assumed anyway."

"No, don't, I… I wanted it to be a date too."

There was an awkward pause in which Zuko hung his head in though and hesitantly glanced back up at her. "You wanted it to be a date too?" he repeated, doubtfully.

She shrugged. "Yeah…"

Zuko straightened up. "Then _why_ did you run off?"

Katara pressed a hand over her face. "I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting you to say it, I freaked out a little," she laughed.

"_You_ freaked out? I thought you were going to hate me for it!"

"We'll I'm sorry! I didn't _mean_ to freak out! I –"

"_Shh_!" he hissed. "Sorry, we're getting loud and my Uncle is already asleep."

"Sorry…"

His face broke into that lop-sided half-smile. "Don't be." Zuko reached up with one hand to pull a strand of hair away from her face. "You still look cold." She nodded and shuffled closer to him. Zuko put his arms around her waist. For a moment, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He smelled of rain and musk, with a touch of wood-fire smoke. With a deep breath, she took in a lungful of his scent and straightened up. His face was so close to hers and his body was so pleasantly warm. She realized that she'd slung her arms over his shoulder. As they held each other, she felt their faces drawing nearer. His sweet breath danced along her cheeks and she felt herself smiling, blushing. He shut his eyes and pulled her in just slightly, pressing his forehead against hers just a moment to suddenly. She shied away. Zuko took a step back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. But Katara shook her head and stepped towards him again. She felt her heart skipping every second beat as she pulled him back to the closeness from before she'd shied away. Zuko smiled at her; this time, it was a full smile. Slowly this time, he pulled her body just a little closer to his own and waited for her to lean her forehead against his first. They glanced at each other for just a moment longer before they shut their eyes. Zuko felt her lips brush against his for a split-second, caught her, and turned the brush into a gentle, deeper kiss.

* * *

Author's Note: Viola! Zutara! But who the heck was following Katara? Will we ever find out? Last chapter, reviewers guessed Azula and Jet. I'm still open to people chancing a guess. Has anybody else played Slender? I freaked out my first time. Well, writing the part at the start of this chapter, where Katara was being followed, made me think of that game... anyone else?

Sokka:_ Smoochy, smoochy! Someone's in looooooove. _

Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review! :)


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews on last chapter. I'm still hearing a few guesses for Jet and a few guesses for Azula when it comes to who Katara's stalker was. Will I reveal it this chapter or not? One way to find out. Shorter than last chapter, but get reading, minions! Mwahahahaha -coughcoughcoughcough- I am actually currently coming down with a nasty cold, right when I've got my final exams. My English exam was today. Three hours of sniffling as quietly as I could and trying not to choke... Well, read!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The sound of voices dragged Zuko back to consciousness and for a moment, he considered letting himself drift back to his dreams. Next to him, Katara continued sleeping peacefully. His sleep-heavy eyes showed him the smiling face and messy hair. But the sound of voices elsewhere in the house became clearer, and Zuko felt his stomach twist as he recognized who was there.

"Wake up," he hissed, shaking Katara.

She gasped as she came around and then glared at him. "What –?"

"_Shh!_ You need to hide."

"What?"

He didn't answer, but instead, grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up from the bed. He threw his wardrobe door open and pulled her around to stand in front of him. "Sorry about this… please, just keep quiet."

Suddenly, that voice was right outside his bedroom door. "– so if you'll excuse me, Uncle, I'd like to see my brother." Zuko took one final look at Katara's confused and fearful face before he shut the door. He took a step back from the wardrobe and then turned towards the heater. The room had become unbearably hot since he'd left the bed. He reached forward to switch it off. That's when he saw that Katara's clothes were still hanging up in front of the heater next to his. That's when his bedroom door swung open. "Hello, Zuzu."

"Don't call me that," he hissed, turning steadily to face her. "What do you want, Azula?" Zuko stood so that Katara's clothes were behind him.

"Oh, Brother, when will you ever learn?" she said, staring uninterestedly at her nails as she leaned against the door-frame. "I've come to see if you've made your choice yet."

"What choice?"

Azula smirked. "I made you an offer the other night. I told you to think about it."

Zuko snarled. "I already told you, no. I'm not helping you."

"But Zuko," she sighed. "I thought we were family. Aren't we supposed to be helping each other? You're my big brother, aren't you? Help me to help our father."

"No!" he snapped. "You're not my sister and he is _not_ my father. I told you, the only family I have now is Uncle!" Azula eyed him, still smirking. What he would give to be able to wipe that smirk off her face. "Get out!"

Azula stepped into the bedroom and gazed around the room, bored. "Tell me something, brother." He glared at her, silently. "When did you last see Jin?"

He frowned. "Jin?"

"That's right." Her eyes flashed. "You remember the girl you took out for dinner two nights ago, don't you?"

He scowled. "What about her?"

"When did you last see her?"

"That night."

Azula chuckled. "Do you know where she is now?" Zuko shook his head. "I do."

His scowl deepened. "What have you done?" he demanded.

"How much do you care about her, Zuko?"

"Only as much as I care for a stranger. But that's enough for me not to want you anywhere near her."

"Oh come on," she snarled. "You must care for her more than that. I know you kissed her, Zuko."

He felt himself flush red. "It was a date, Azula. Uncle set me up for it, or I wouldn't have been there."

"But you kissed her."

"One kiss. It meant nothing."

She considered him for a moment. "But you do care what happens to her."

"I know what you're capable of," he said.

Her widening smirk made him feel sick. "You haven't seen anything yet." There was a deep silence between them before Azula turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Where is she, Azula? What have you done to her?"

She faced him again. "That's for me to know, Brother. All you need to know is this: Tonight, midnight, I will be waiting in the abandoned underground market, at the entrance near the public section of the royal gardens. If you meet me there and agree to help me, I will let Jin go, unharmed."

Zuko said nothing for a moment. "And if I don't?"

She took one step back towards him. "You said it yourself. You know what I'm capable of. So, will I be seeing you there, or not?"

"Get out."

She glared at him. "I'm warning you now, Zuko. This is your last chance. I go back to Dad after tonight, with or without you. And if it's without you, then Jin gets it."

"I said get out!" He pointed fiercely to the door.

She smiled. "Of course." Again, she stopped in the doorway and turned back. "One more thing. If you don't join me tonight, _she_ gets it too." Azula nodded towards the wardrobe.

Zuko stiffened. "It was you following us last night!"

Her face was so smug. She disappeared from the doorway and Zuko listened to her retreating footsteps. "Goodbye, Uncle."

Zuko let out a held breath as he heard the back door of _The Jasmine Dragon _swing shut. Behind him, Katara burst out of the wardrobe. His uncle appeared in front of him.

"Nephew, do you really think she means that about Jin?"

He cringed. "Azula always lies."

Iroh looked past him to Katara and didn't bother to hide his smile. "You're both late for school, but you're welcome to take your time to make breakfast."

Katara shook her head. "That's fine. I'll go without."

"Very well. You should head off soon then," Iroh said, looking between them somewhat disappointed. He left them alone.

Katara snatched her clothes away from the heater and stormed into the bathroom. Zuko watched her go, baffled. He got changed and sat on the end of his bed waiting. _After hearing what she'd heard, she must be terrified,_ he thought. He stood up as she came back out and put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen… I don't know how to say how sorry I am that you've gotten caught up in this. But I promise you, there is no way in hell I am going to let my sister anywhere near you."

"Save it, Zuko," she spat.

He frowned. "Hey, what's your problem now?"

"_One kiss. It meant nothing_," she said. "I see how it is."

* * *

Author's Note: Just in case it wasn't clear, they kissed and then went to sleep. There was no naughty business. Just so we're clear. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave Iroh to his own imagination, at least for now. Oh, and ta-da! If you guessed that Azula was the stalker, you guessed right. Dun-dun-duuuuun... has Azula really got Jin? Will she really hurt Katara if Zuko doesn't help her tonight? Oh, how will we ever find out! And of course, I can't go a whole chapter without presenting some sort of conflict between our favourite couple.

Hope you enjoyed. Please do leave a review if you read. Tell me what you thought! Chance your guesses at the above questions while you're at it :D REVIEW!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Thank you to the two people who reviewed last chapter, _I-Am-My-Own-Biggest-Mystery_ and _KnivesAndPens13_. Come on guys, I know there's more than two people out there reading, so make sure that if you're one of them, you're leaving a review at the end of the chapter! Reviews make authors feel happy and encourage us to keep writing. If you're a penmonkey yourself, surely you understand. If you're not, just try to. I enjoy writing this story a lot more than I'd intended to when it started out, so please show me that you enjoy reading it.

Anyway, on with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Ba Sing Se seemed to be humming quietly with the life that existed during school hours. Katara weaved through the sea of bodies without looking into the faces of anyone who passed her by. Somewhere behind her, Zuko followed less seamlessly, trying to catch up.

"Katara, wait," he called out when he was close enough. "Katara, that's not what I meant when I said that."

"Really?" she said doubtfully, without slowing down. "Then what did you mean, Zuko? Tell me that."

He grabbed her by the arm. "I meant that it didn't mean anything between Jin and I. Not to me, anyway."

She pulled her arm away from him. "Then _why_ would you do it?"

"She kissed me! Not the other way around. And hey, what was I meant to do?" He finally caught up with her properly and pulled himself around in front of her, forcing her to stop. "Katara, I left her straight afterwards. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"So what about last night then?" she asked, defensively.

Zuko felt himself blushing. "Last night meant a lot. I did mean it. And I liked it. And I'd like it to happen again some time." She stood with her hands on her hips. "I didn't leave you right after it happened last night, Katara. My uncle didn't set us up on a date in an attempt to help me socialize with girls; I did that part myself, because I wanted to."

Before she could answer, a deep voice called out. "Hey, shouldn't you kids be in school?" They both gave a start as a uniformed man approached them.

"Sorry, Sir," Katara said bowing. "We're running a little late. We were just on our way."

"A little?" the man repeated sarcastically. "You've missed your whole first class by now. I'm afraid I'll have to escourt you the rest of the way to make sure you're not wagging."

They knew better than to argue with a policeman. Heads down, they started walking silently towards the school. The man followed them closely and neither of them spoke a word to each other or to him. The school building was dauntingly quiet as they approached. After signing in at the office, the policeman left them alone and they moved off to their respective classes. Just after the bell for lunch sounded, the PA system called their names with Ms Joo Dee's voice to the front office again.

"Ah, how nice of you to join us today," she greeted them. Zuko leaned against a wall, head bowed. Katara stood with her arms crossed over her chest and looked daringly at the teacher.

Mr Long Feng appeared. "Nice of you, but unfortunately, you were very late. What is your explanation for this?"

"We slept in," Zuko grunted without thinking.

Ms Joo Dee gasped. "I find this highly inappropriate. I do not wish to become involved in the personal lives of my students, but I cannot accept this as an excuse. The way in which you conduct yourselves outside of school should not have a negative impact on your education."

"Yeah, we get it," Katara snapped. "We don't need the lecture. Look, we showed up as soon as we could and we're sorry we were so late. What more do you want from us?"

If it weren't for the Botox, Ms Joo Dee would have been glaring. In her inability, Mr Long Feng did so for her. "Your attitude is inappropriate, Katara," he said. "You should apologize to Ms Joo Dee for speaking to her like that."

Katara clenched her fists and opened her mouth to argue, but Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and she controlled herself.

"I'm waiting, Katara," Ms Joo Dee said impatiently. When the girl still did not apologize, Ms Joo Dee cleared her throat. "There appears to be something missing from the confiscation box in my office, Katara."

She felt herself stiffen. "What might that be?" she said airily.

"Your sketch book." Ms Joo Dee stepped up to her and grinned right into her face. "I believe you stole it."

Katara frowned, trying not to give herself away. Her lips trembled in an attempt to find words, but before she could push them out, Zuko cut across her. "You mean you lost it," he said. "Would it be so hard to admit?"

Both teachers rounded on him. "How dare you!"

"And as for inappropriate," he continued. "I'm pretty sure fucking in your office is worse than either one of us being late, or the content of the sketchbook."

Ms Joo Dee's face turned bright red in an instant and she turned away, mortified. Katara had to stifle a laugh. Mr Long Feng, on the other hand, was just as bewildered, but not as speechless. "How _dare_ you!" Zuko hardly flinched as Mr Long Feng raised an arm as if to strike him. Katara gasped and prepared to lunge forward. But the blow never came. The two men stared each other down until Mr Long Feng lowered his arm. "Detention after school," he said venomously. "Both of you." He left them with that and they found themselves suddenly alone.

"You shouldn't have done that," Katara said quietly.

He shook his head. "Why not? They were being assholes to you."

She gave a short laugh. "Thanks."

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

Katara shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I just got caught up in what you said and didn't stop to think. I overreacted."

"Don't be sorry," he said, stepping towards her. "It's not your fault. I probably would have reacted the same if it was the other way around."

She shrugged. "Probably. I'm still sorry."

Zuko shook his head. "Don't be." His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer, planting a light kiss on her lips. The sound of footsteps announced approaching teachers, and the pair quickly stepped apart. "Let's go."

Within seconds of leaving the front office, Katara heard someone hiss her name. She turned to find Suki. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Oh…" Katara fumbled. "Right."

"Yes, _right_, you have no idea how hard it was for me to lie to your brother about who you'd gone out with and where you were while I was worried sick! I thought you were going to come back home."

"I had meant to, but we… kinda got deterred. It started raining and we just ran back to his place instead," Katara said, indicating over her shoulder.

Suki glared at him. "I tried calling you. Why didn't you answer?"

"My phone's dead. Sorry… I really had meant to come home though!"

"It's my fault," Zuko said. "I got us lost in the park after dinner and we kinda didn't find our way out until it was really late and raining. I figured my place was closer…"

Suki huffed. "Whatever. I guess I can see that you are safe. Can you please be a little more communicative next time?"

Katara smiled awkwardly and nodded. "What did you tell Sokka?"

"I told him you were out with a friend and when you didn't come home, I told him that I thought you'd been saying something about a sleepover… Katara, I was freaking out! Please, never do that to me again…"

Katara could help giggling. "Sorry, Suki."

"And _you_," she said, pointing to Zuko. "You treat this girl with respect, you hear? I've got my eye on you…"

Zuko put his hands up defensively. "I hear. I think she could probably kick my ass if I tired anything she didn't like."

"Damn right," Katara smirked, elbowing him in the ribs.

Suki frowned, considering Zuko for a moment. Katara's heart plummeted to her stomach as she realized that Suki had worked it out. "Katara… is he…?" She didn't finish her sentence, but a the question was obvious. A silent tension enveloped them for a moment as Suki stared at him. Katara looked between them, panic building up inside of her.

"My father is dead to me," Zuko said suddenly. "But yes, Ozai is my father."

Suki's face was expressionless for a moment and Katara waited anxiously for her reaction. "Katara…"

"Suki, please, don't say anything to Sokka yet."

She hesitated. "Fine," she said. "But you had better tell him soon. I can't keep this up much longer, especially now that I know this. No offence, Zuko, but I'm not sure I trust you, knowing who you are."

He frowned but nodded. "That's understandable."

She turned back to Katara. "I hope you know what you're doing. I'll see you after the home bell. Sokka and I are going out with a few people for something small to eat before we go home. Wanna come?"

Katara smiled guiltily. "I can't. I have detention."

"Again?" Suki sighed. "What for this time?"

"Being late this morning. He's got one too."

Suki shook her head. "Good job, guys." She gave a short laugh. "I'll see you when you're home then, Katara."

She nodded. "See you."

* * *

Author's Note: I think Katara can just be glad that Suki is a pretty cool person, because Sokka would totally freak out if he knew what the hell was going on. I see that Ms Joo Dee and Mr Long Feng aren't denying Zuko's daring accusation. Though, Mr Long Feng, I think your reaction was a little rash. What did you think, my dear readers?

Please be kind and leave a review if you've read the chapter. I would like at least **three reviews, or there will not be an update.** Come on, impress me. You sure knocked my socks off last time I asked. Do it again. I'll reward you with another chapter and more Zutara goodness! I promise! Review!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Thanks to all of my reviewers, once again. You guys are the best and I love you so much, seriously. In other news, I went on a writing spree and actually finished writing this story. There is a grand total of 19 chapters. But you don't get to read them until I get more reviews, so...

You know what to do, munchkins!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Neither Zuko nor Katara knew the teacher supervising them during detention. "I guess Ms Joo Dee and Mr Long Feng were too humiliated," Zuko whispered. The sound of his voice was met with by a glare from the supervising teacher.

"I feel gross," Katara sighed. "I want to go home and have a shower already."

"_Shh_!" the teacher hissed. "No talking!"

In the dragging silence, Zuko slipped his hand under the table and placed it gently on her knee. She smiled, trying not to look at him in case the teacher noticed. His hand was warm and comforting. A laugh almost escaped her lips when he started rubbing circles on her leg, but she reduced it outburst to a sudden squirming in her seat. Unfortunately, that caught the teacher's attention and Zuko quickly pulled his hand away from her before they were caught. The action was more sudden that Katara had expected, especially considering his crude outburst which had landed them in detention to begin with. She suspected something playing on his mind. As soon as the teacher wasn't watching again, his hand went back to her knee.

When the hour finally passed, the teacher dismissed them carelessly and left the room before they did. For a moment they lingered. Zuko smirked deviously at her until she got up and led them out of the room. They stood outside the school together and started walking slowly along the streets.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked. "You seem a little jumpy."

Zuko shrugged. "I'm just… never mind."

"What?" He shook his head. "Tell me!"

He shrugged. "I'm just a little worried about what Azula said this morning."

Katara frowned. "Which part?"

"All of it. I can't tell how much was a bluff and how much was real. What if she really does have Jin?" She scowled at him. He put his hands up defensively. "I feel bad for anyone being imprisoned by my sister. It has nothing to do with –"

"I know, I know, I know," she said hurriedly. "Sorry. I just… yeah."

"Yeah." He stepped up. "I'm worried that she meant what she said about you. I don't want you to become her victim too."

She took in a deep breath. "I'd say that was a bluff." Zuko could tell that she didn't mean it as much as she wanted to.

"I don't know, Katara. It was her last night, following you. She seemed pretty persistent. I'm scared she was planning to take you then."

Katara looked at her feet. The sunlight was warm in the late afternoon and made the sky almost blinding to look at. "What can we do? How is she going to get me?"

He shrugged. "She could be watching us now for all we know. I mean, she is going to school here, just like us."

"I wonder why she didn't get a detention for being late."

"She probably made up some legitimate excuse… or the teachers know she will hurt them if they get in her way. They could be scared of her."

Katara looked at him thoughtfully. "What if one of the teachers is on her side?"

"You mean a member of the Red Army in disguise?"

"Yeah."

He shrugged. "I guess it's possible. But who would you pick? Ms Joo Dee?"

Katara shook her head. "No, I'll bet she'd take the opportunity to grovel at King Kuei's feet any day. I was thinking more…"

"Mr Long Feng?" Zuko guessed. Katara nodded. "That would be interesting if Ms Joo Dee found out. I wonder…"

"I can't believe he was about to hit you," Katara said.

He shook his head. "I knew he didn't have the guts. It would have gotten him into trouble. Could have blown his cover."

She giggled. "Well, I should be getting home," she said, backing away.

Zuko seemed disheartened. "Alright. Let me know if anything strange happens. I don't want to be the last to know if Azula really does come after you."

She gave a faltering smile. "I'll let you know. What's your number?"

Zuko pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote it on the back of her hand. "Um… call me?" he said teasingly.

She nudged him in the arm and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I will."

* * *

"Nephew, you seem distracted tonight. Is everything okay?" Iroh asked gently as they cleared a table. _The Jasmine Dragon_ was humming with the last customers of the night and the older man had been watching his nephew closely all night.

"I'm fine," Zuko said.

"Are you quite sure?" Iroh waved at a leaving customer before turning back to his nephew. "How are things between you and Katara? She seemed upset when she left."

He shrugged. "I guess she was. We're fine."

"Did you make it up to her?" Iroh said with a smile.

"Yes," Zuko answered shortly.

Iroh frowned after him as he moved to clear another table. "Nephew, you seem stressed about something. Tell me, what is on your mind?"

"Nothing," he lied.

"There must be something, Zuko, or you would not be so tense." Zuko didn't reply. "Is it to do with Azula?"

He froze for a split second and sighed before he continued. "I keep thinking about what she said this morning."

"Zuko –" He placed a hand on his shoulder. "– promise me you will not turn to her. I know that you are in a difficult position, and filled with inner conflict. You must miss your father and sister. They are your family, after all. But I warn you, Nephew, my brother is not the type to repent, and I fear that Azula is only going to use you if you join her tonight."

"Ozai and Azula are not my family anymore," Zuko hissed, rounding on his uncle. "I do not intend on going back to them. My issue is not with whose side I'm on. My issue is with what Azula might have done to Jin and what she's threatening to do to Katara if I don't meet with her in two hours time."

Iroh considered him for a moment. "Have you considered that they might have been empty threats?"

"I have, Uncle, but what if they're not? She was following Katara and I last night, and she must have been watching Jin and I the night before too." Iroh furrowed his brow in thought. "Uncle, what can I do?" He didn't answer as the last customers vacated their table. Iroh smiled at them as they left. "I need to find out if she really has Jin or not. And I need to protect Katara. But how do I do that, Uncle?"

"You could go to the police."

He scoffed. "And say what? Hi there, I'm Zuko, son of Ozai, the leader of the Red Army. I think someone's going to kill my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Iroh perked up with a grin.

"Uncle, focus!"

"Right, right… well, they might believe you. You could try."

Zuko shook his head. "Azula will figure it out. If she really does already have Jin, she'll do the worst if she figures it out too soon."

Iroh nodded. "I know that you are right. I still do not know if I believe that Azula really has taken Jin hostage though."

Zuko followed him into the kitchen and stopped him before he could empty the bin. "I'll do that. I need to think. I'm going for a walk."

Iroh frowned as he dragged the bin-bag out the back door. "Please, Zuko, do what you know is right. Do not become her puppet out of fear of what she might do to you."

"I'm not afraid of what she will do to me, Uncle," Zuko said. "I'm afraid what she will do to someone innocent, like Jin. And I'm terrified of what she will do to Katara."

He didn't give the man a chance to respond before he shut the door behind him. The backside of the building was just as dark and grimy as it had been the night Azula had confronted him. There were still puddles from the downpour the night before. Zuko hurled the rubbish into the bin and started walking. His feet took him wherever they wanted. With his head down, Zuko passed the rest of the city like a phantom, lost in thought, his troubles invisible to every soul that walked by.

_What am I supposed to do?_ he thought. _I don't know what I can do._

Before he could register where he was, he found himself standing outside a house, looking up the front steps to the door. He blinked. He'd been in and out of that door once before, just the day before. _Katara,_ he thought, stepping up. He placed one hand against the smooth, dark-blue wood and closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against it too. He thought of her, and the way her eyes described everything she felt. But they were always blue, just like her room, just like the door in front of him, just like the sky.

_No, the sky isn't blue at sunset and sunrise. Katara is more constant than that._ He opened his eyes and stepped back. He walked around the house until he found her window. Zuko stared up, half expecting to see her appear to stare down at him. But she didn't. It was late at night and after the long day, he expected that she was exhausted.

_But is she really up there? What if Azula has already paid her a visit? _He frowned up at the window, but couldn't see inside. He had to be sure that Katara was alright. He picked a stone up from the ground and threw it at the window. There was a heavy thump as it bounced back and landed on the ground. He threw it again, and as he bent down to retrieve it, movement caught his eye. Zuko looked up at the window and saw Katara frowning down at him. He straightened up and waited for something to happen; for her to do something or say something, or turn around and disappear again.

Her face broke into a smile and she gently opened the window. "What are you doing here?" she whispered down to him.

"Can I come up?" She nodded. Zuko briefly examined the building and everything attached to it; the branch of a nearby tree, a ledge, a gap between two bricks, the piping. Katara stepped back as he ran at the house and manoeuvred himself up to her window.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again as he slipped in through her window.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Her smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, I just haven't been able to get out of my head what Azula said this morning. I was… worried about you."

Katara blushed. "That's sweet of you."

Zuko slipped into her room and straightened up. "Are you alright?" She nodded. "Did I wake you?"

"It doesn't matter," she whispered. "But if you're staying, we need to keep quiet. Everyone else is already in bed. I don't think Suki would be too happy if she found out you were here, and I know Sokka would freak."

He chuckled. "That's okay. I just wanted to see you." Her smile was interrupted by a yawn. "You look exhausted. I'm sorry for waking you, I just wanted to be sure." Zuko edged towards the window again. "I'll let you get back to sleep."

Katara shook her head quickly and stepped forward. "Don't go," she said, grabbing his arm. "Stay for a while."

His scowling face broke into a half-smile. Katara felt her stomach squirm. "Would you like to sleep again?"

She nodded and took a step back towards the bed. "Can you hold me for a bit?"

Zuko's smile spread all the way across his face as he watched her blushing. "Of course." Katara sat on her bed and watched him kick his shoes off. He sat down next to her and awkwardly put an arm around her slender body. She leaned willingly into him and closed her eyes, her head propped beneath his chin. Zuko pulled her closer and started rubbing his thumb in circles on her back. She gave a quiet laugh.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That feels nice. It felt nice when you did it on my leg in detention too."

He smirked. "Good." He kissed the top of her head. Zuko felt her fingers gathering the material of his shirt and felt the gentle tug she gave. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She tugged at his shirt again, just gently. "Can we lie down?"

"Sure." He let her shuffle to the side of the bed near the wall. She stretched out over the mattress, nestling her head on the pillow. Zuko smiled at the way her tank-top and pyjama pants clung to her and highlighted the gentle curves of her body. He ran a finger smoothly from her shoulder to her hip and left his hand there as he lowered himself to the bed. Zuko gathered her in one arm and she closed her eyes, her head on his chest. He could feel her fingers playing with his shirt again.

"Can you take it off?" she asked shyly.

He chuckled, smiling down at her. "You sure?" She nodded and he pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor before he gathered her in his arms again. "Is this okay?"

She smiled against his chest. "Yes. You're warm. You feel nice."

Zuko kissed the top of her head again and watched her doze off. The house was filled with a heavy silence and Zuko turned to face the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was close to midnight and he felt his stomach twist in anticipation.

_What happens when I don't meet Azula?_

While Katara slept peacefully in his arms, he started counting down the minutes. His heart started racing in a mixture of fear as the hour neared, and pleasure as Katara snuggled closer to him in her sleep. Her steady breathing was soothing, like the cool skin of the hand she left on his chest.

Midnight came and passed without anything of significance occurring. A part of Zuko was expecting Azula to appear at the window with a cruel smirk across her face. But Azula didn't come. The minutes ticked on and Zuko felt the weight of the week pounding down on him. His eyes started drooping shut in exhaustion and he pulled himself back to consciousness with a start. Katara continued to sleep peacefully.

_I can't leave her alone tonight,_ he thought, looking down at her. _But what if I fall asleep and Azula shows? I can't fall asleep. _

But as the minutes ticked on, he felt himself dozing deeper into a slumber, and finding it harder to pull himself back to reality every time. Somewhere in his half-conscious state, he recalled the fear on Katara's face the previous night, as they'd ran through the park together. _What would have happened if Azula had caught up?_

Azula's gleaming eyes appeared in his mind. _"I know where you are,"_ her voice told him. _"No matter what you do, you'll never be able to keep her safe from me."_

He pulled himself out of the nightmare with a jump. Katara murmured something in her sleep as she readjusted herself against his body. Frowning, he looked down at her. The alarm clock read 12:35am, and he sighed in frustration. As gently as he could, he slipped out of her arms and stretched his body out as he stood.

"Where are you going?" Katara murmured, cracking her eyes open for a moment.

Zuko looked guiltily back down at her. "Home. I need to sleep."

She closed her eyes and let her body spread over the rest of the bed. A second later, she had plunged back into the depths of unconsciousness. Zuko sighed as he pulled his shirt and shoes back on. Her room seemed much more inviting than the dark streets of Ba Sing Se outside her window, but if he wanted to keep her safe, he knew what he had to do. He scanned the room for her sketchbooks, on the desk and on her shelves. He picked one at random and scanned its pages quickly before he tucked it underneath his arm and climbed back out the window.

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Author's note: New record for the longest chapter! And this is just crawling with Zutara goodness, is it not? And of course, lots of Zuko's private angst and inner turmoil. OMG ZUKO WHY ARE YOU STEALING KATARA'S SKETCHBOOK?! So tell me, what did you think?

For those of you who didn't read the A/N at the top, I have finished writing this story. All that I need is for you to review each chapter as I post it, so that I have a reason to put the next one up.** I'll update with the next chapter when I get at least four (4) reviews.** If you love Zutara, like this story and want to know how it ends, you know what to do. Fly, my pretties, fly! I mean... review!


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: A big thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed last chapter. You guys are great, I really do love you. Go and get yourselves a virtual cookie, but don't take too long, because here's the next chapter...

* * *

_Previously, on Avatar… _

"_Dad and I want your help. We need to find as much information about King Kuei as we can and relay it to him. I've already made a start, but there are some files up in the palace that I want to get my hands on and I can't do it on my own." _

* * *

"_Where is she, Azula? What have you done to her?"_

_She faced him again. "That's for me to know, Brother. All you need to know is this: Tonight, midnight, I will be waiting in the abandoned underground market, at the entrance near the public section of the royal gardens. If you meet me there and agree to help me, I will let Jin go, unharmed." _

_Zuko said nothing for a moment. "And if I don't?"_

_She took one step back towards him. "You said it yourself. You know what I'm capable of. So, will I be seeing you there, or not?"_

* * *

_Katara looked at him thoughtfully. "What if one of the teachers is on her side?"_

"_You mean a member of the Red Army in disguise?"_

"_Yeah."_

* * *

_He scanned the room for her sketchbooks, on the desk and on her shelves. He picked one at random and scanned its pages quickly before he tucked it underneath his arm and climbed back out the window. _

* * *

**Chapter 16**

He'd lost all sense of time when Azula came into view. The ancient underground market was nothing but an endless abyss of twisting shadows in the darkness of the early hours of the morning. Stale air overwhelmed him, but his mind was set: nothing would deter him from the mission ahead, as much as he wanted to walk away. Lives were at stake; the lives of innocent people. _Maybe it's selfish_, Zuko thought as he faced his sister like an old friend. _More people could be hurt if this goes right on Azula's terms than the amount of people I'd save by complying_. Her smirk sickened him to the core. _But she has Jin, and she will get Katara next if I don't play this game with her._

"You're late," she commented, nonchalantly.

"I came," he said stubbornly. "I almost didn't, but I'm here."

Her eyes glistened. "I see. Shall we, then?"

"Not yet," he said. "We had a deal."

A cold laugh chimed from her mouth. "You want me to release Jin." Zuko didn't answer. He stared unblinking at her, waiting. "Very well." She turned to call over her shoulder. "Mr Long Feng, will you please bring the prisoner forward?"

Zuko felt the pit of his stomach bubble as the very teacher he and Katara had suspected a traitor stepped forward, a smirking face similar to his sister's, dragging a constrained figure with him. There was a muffled whimper from the prisoner as Mr Long Feng thrust her forward. Her hands were bound too tight and even in the darkness, he could see where her skin had rubbed raw against the ropes. There was a thick bag over her head, tied shut around her neck.

"Let her go," Zuko said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to yell. Mr Long Feng looked to Azula for confirmation and the young woman nodded. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the rope around the prisoner's wrists and the tie around her neck. She pulled the bag off her head by herself and looked around in fear and confusion, as if she hadn't expected it to be just as dark outside of the bag as it was inside. Zuko relaxed as he recognized the mousy face and dark hair. He'd half expected Azula to have fooled him and discover that Jin had not been in any danger at all.

But Jin stood in front of him, adjusting her vision to the new darkness that surrounded her. Fear contorted her face as she looked at Mr Long Feng and at Azula, but when her eyes rested on him, her expression turned to rage. "You!"

Zuko couldn't bring himself to look her square in the eyes, or reply to her outburst. He turned his face to one side, exposing the scarred flesh.

"You're free to go, Jin," Azula sighed. It seemed to take a moment for the girl to comprehend this and she stared dumbly at her captor, gracefully intimidating in her Red Army uniform. But Azula's patience was short. "Out of my sight already!" Jin flinched and took a step towards the outside world, passing Zuko as she went. He felt her eyes on his face and the look of horror she gave him as she realized – or perhaps _thought_ would be more appropriate – that he was one of them.

It wasn't until Jin was gone that Zuko realized the other two pairs of eyes resting intently on him. He turned back to Azula and Mr Long Feng. "Alright," he said, as if to reassure them that he was in; as if to reassure himself that this was the best he could do. "Alright."

Azula turned on her heels and gestured for them to follow her. Mr Long Feng didn't budge until Zuko was in front of him. He kept his eyes on the floor beneath his feet as his sister led them deeper into the darkness of the underground. Mr Long Feng's eyes burned at the back of his head. Inside his jacket, Zuko could feel the sketchbook he'd taken from Katara's room, and hoped the bin-liner he'd wrapped it in wouldn't draw too much attention as they walked. He'd taken a detour home after leaving Katara's house to fix some last-minute details before taking the plunge. There was nothing promising him that he'd guessed right and that his own plans were going to work out. There was no guarantee that everything wasn't going to go exactly the way Azula intended, and that in the end, saving Jin and Katara had been in vain. _I'm too far in,_ he told himself. _There's no turning back now._

The tunnel seemed to go on for hours, burrowing deeper and deeper into the earth, but he knew better than to trust his judgement of time when he was so wound up. At one point or another, Zuko noticed their path sloping upward and the thick stale air beginning to thin as they came towards the end of the line. Azula stopped. It took him a moment to realize they had just stepped out of the tunnel and were no longer in the public section of the royal gardens.

"This is a blind spot in the guard patrol," she said without turning around. "Listen closely, because I will not tolerate any mistakes." It was at that point, as Mr Long Feng stepped up next to him, trembling, that Zuko realized Azula was telling _both _of them. "We breach the fence here and make a beeline for the palace. Once we start, nobody speaks, understood?" Zuko and Mr Long Feng both nodded, and although she didn't turn around, Azula seemed to sense their understanding. "We enter the palace via a trapdoor that leads to the basement, and then we leave the basement directly into a corridor in the wing closest to us. We remain on the ground level until we're close to the throne room, where the confidential files are kept. Another trap door will take us underneath the throne room and from there, it's straight forward. Grab what we came for, bag it, and leave the same way we came."

_Bag it,_ Zuko repeated inwardly. _Good._ Mr Long Feng extracted a pair of wire cutters and made a hole in the fence, which Azula led the way through. The distance between the fence and the basement entrance was longer than Zuko had judged, and Azula set a violent pace. Zuko had to clutch the sketchbook to his chest underneath his jacket to stop it from slipping out. When they reached the trapdoor, it was locked and a look of panic overcame Mr Long Feng's face. Azula turned on him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I thought –"

"_Silence_!" she commanded, and he shut his mouth abruptly. For a moment, Zuko thought their plan was a failure and they would leave. But he should have known better than to assume that Azula would be unprepared, or willing to cut her losses if she wasn't. From her own pocket, she produced a small bag filled with powder. Zuko stared in confusion for a moment as she opened the bag and began to pour the powder onto the trapdoor. Then, she tossed Mr Long Feng a lighter and stepped back. "You can light it, Mr Long Feng." He stared at her, open mouthed. "Well? We're waiting. Your stupidity has already delayed us enough. Hurry up!" Mr Long Feng nodded and knelt down next to the trapdoor with the lighter. Azula made a gesture to Zuko to make him stand back and he positioned himself as she did; several meters away from Mr Long Feng and the trapdoor, couching behind a giant pot plant for safety.

It wasn't until Mr Long Feng turned his face away from the trapdoor, closed his eyes and held the lighter to the powder that Zuko realized what it was. The lighter clicked and the flame caught. The explosion was not to the magnitude of a bomb, but it was violent and instantaneous, and it did what Azula had intended it to do. _Somebody must have heard that... _The trapdoor was blown to smithereens… and Mr Long Feng writhed on the ground, holding his flesh in the places he'd been burned and the places where shrapnel had struck him. His mouth was open in a silent scream and it wasn't until Azula moved and Zuko followed her towards him that the sound of whimpering came to his ears. Azula didn't give Mr Long Feng a second glance as she stepped over his body and descended into the basement. Zuko lingered for a moment longer, staring over his shoulder. Turning his face away from the blast hadn't spared him and his features were burnt, melted and distorted. Gunpowder – or perhaps something stronger – was a dangerous material.

Azula hissed at him impatiently to follow her and she led them through another door at the other end of the basement. Inside the palace, the walls were decorated green and golden. In the dark, the gold seemed luminous against the night. But there wasn't time to admire the subtle beauty of the palace in the dark. Azula led him swiftly down the corridors and around corners. They caught nothing more than glimpses of guards on patrol and no sight whatsoever of the palace's residents. Zuko realized soon that they were skirting around what must have been the center of the palace; the throne room. He followed silently, glancing around while his sister looked for the next trapdoor. He half hoped a patrol would suddenly appear and capture them. This was the part he didn't want to go through with. He'd seen enough already. Jin was safe and he could protect Katara himself if need be. But it was too late to back out now. All that was left to do was hope that he'd be able to twist Azula's plan back on her without her noticing until too late.

She grabbed him suddenly by the forearm and dragged him through a trapdoor. It was suddenly darker without the sky pouring through windows, but the room lit up again as Azula twisted a torch into life. She gave him a warning glance, which he interpreted as _T__his is it, don't mess it up_, and nodded once to her. Azula let the light of the torch wander around the room, resting on the filing cabinets and drawers. A desk was backed up in the corner of the room, overflowing with papers. Azula led him there first but didn't look at anything on the desk; she went straight for the drawers underneath it. But they were locked. She sighed in exasperation and pulled the packet of powder out of her pocket again. She stared between the packet and the lock, contemplating. Anybody else would have worn a fearful expression as they considered blowing up the cupboard containing the goods, but Azula's face was cold and calculating. Eventually she put the bag of powder back in her pocket, deeming it too risky. She turned her hard eyes on him and he felt his skin crawl. The thought of Mr Long Feng's melted face clung to his mind and he shook his brains for a solution, before she could find a more gruesome way.

"You got a bobby-pin?" he asked quickly. She raised an eyebrow and stared silently at him. Then, eyes unmoving, she reached up to her neatly pulled-back hair and slid out one bobby-pin. He took it and started bending it before he shoved it into the keyhole. After several sharp movements and some more delicate, coaxing twists of the small hairpiece, there was a soft click and Zuko smirked at his own work. Azula pulled him back and tugged the drawer open. Part of him wished he hadn't helped. It made him feel sick to know that he might have brought Ba Sing Se one step closer to its demise.

The way she sifted through the drawer's contents reminded Zuko of a greedy animal, finding a jackpot of food. But she extracted only one thing; an A3 folder with a black, spiral-bound cover. He had to stop himself from smiling as she flicked through the pages and stuffed it into a bin-liner for safekeeping; it looked exactly like the sketchbook in the bin-liner clutched to his chest inside his jacket.

Azula stood up and Zuko knew that she had what she wanted. They made their way back towards the trapdoor that would lead them back into the heart of the palace. But not sooner had Azula pulled the door shut behind her, a gruff voice yelled out, "Who goes there?!" They swerved to see two patrol men standing in the corridor, in the same direction they needed to go to retrace their steps to the market. Each of the men had large rifles slung over their shoulders, but on seeing the two intruders, they were both reaching around to grab their weapons. Azula was faster though. She threw the package of files into Zuko's arms and he fumbled to catch them. By the time he'd steadied his grip, Azula had pulled out a gun and had already shot one of the guards. The second guard was in the process of aiming his own rifle at her when she shot him. They fell to the ground with a sickening thump, and Zuko felt Azula grab his wrist as they ran.

Behind them, footsteps pursued, and Azula was forced to take a different path as more guards cut them off. There wasn't time to stop and enter the basement that would lead them to the outside. Ahead of them, a decorative window of colourful glass created the image of King Kuei with citizens of Ba Sing Se bowing at his feet. Azula aimed her gun and shot the glass until it all shattered to the floor.

"Zuko, give me the files!" she ordered. His eyes widened in realization; her plan was to abandon him. Gritting his teeth, he slipped the files underneath his jacket. She turned to face him. "Give them to me now!"

Zuko pulled a package wrapped in a bin-liner out from underneath his jacket and thrust it into her grasp, hoping that it was the decoy. Her smirk confirmed what he suspected would happen next. Azula spun around as she ran and raised the gun towards him. He stopped, knowing he'd never get out of the way in time. She pulled the trigger. The bang ripped through him and resounded down the corridor. The guards kept coming and Azula disappeared out of the shattered window, before he'd even hit the ground.

* * *

Author's Note: OMG, ZUKO! NO! Tell me what you think in a review! **Four reviews or not update!** Four reviews, or you'll never find out what happens next!


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: You guys are right on the ball for reviewing, and I'm very happy because of it! Thank you all for your lovely comments and such and the conversations we carry over to the PM service. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.

* * *

_Previously, on Avatar…_

_Zuko pulled a package wrapped in a bin-liner out from underneath his jacket and thrust it into her grasp, hoping that it was the decoy. Her smirk confirmed what he suspected would happen next. Azula spun around as she ran and raised the gun towards him. He stopped, knowing he'd never get out of the way in time. She pulled the trigger. The bang ripped through him and resounded down the corridor. The guards kept coming and Azula disappeared out of the shattered window, before he'd even hit the ground._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

As the guards rushed past him, Zuko rolled to one side and unzipped his jacket. His breath hitched in his throat as he peeled the package wrapped in bin-liner from his chest. The bullet had torn through the thick confidential folder and embedded itself somewhere in the right side of his chest. It pained him to breathe and a dizzying sensation began to wash over him as he stared up at the high ceiling. _So this must be what it's like to die_, he thought, trying to blink away the dark spots invading his vision.

A face appeared over him. "We've got a live one over here!" the face shouted. The shout summoned another face. It took Zuko a moment to figure that they were guards of the palace. "You going to tell us your name, sonny?"

He didn't respond with his name, but twitched the hand he held the package with. "She was after this. I gave her a fake."

The guards frowned at him and one of them took the package from him and ripped the bin-liner away. His eyebrows raised to his hairline as he realized the importance of what they'd nearly lost. "Who are you and who were you with a moment ago?!" one of the guards demanded.

"Who are you working for? The Red Army? Ozai?" asked the other.

"I saw the other wearing Red Army uniform. Boy, you got a lot of explaining to do!"

Zuko choked on some hot liquid in his mouth and coughed a smattering of blood onto the floor.

"Shit…" the first guard sighed. "We'd better get him some help, or we'll never be able to question him."

* * *

With a tender kiss on the top of Sokka's head, Suki slipped from the house in her nurse uniform and trotted to the hospital, running only slightly late. When she arrived in the early hours of the morning, a sort of mild chaos seemed to have overtaken her workplace. Several police stood in a tight circle with Dr Pakku, two nurses and two guards from the royal palace and they conversed in hushed voices. Several other nurses scurried in and out of the corridor leading to the emergency room.

"Suki," Dr Pakku called to her when he saw her. "You're here, excellent. Come at once."

Suki followed Dr Pakku and the two nurses into the emergency room, where other nurses were already bustling around the body of a young man, spread out on the operating table. One nurse shooed away another, who had been applying pressure to a wound on the patient's chest. The nurses already present cut his shirt open and tore the material away from his chest. As Suki pulled a mask over her mouth, she realized that the wound had been caused by a bullet. He was bleeding heavily. Suki stepped forward with the group she'd entered with and waited for Dr Pakku's orders.

"He's having trouble breathing," someone said. Suki reached immediately for the required equipment and leaned over the young man's face to fasten the oxygen-mask around his mouth. Looking down at him, her eyes rested on scarred skin over the left side of his face. A gasp escaped her mouth as she recognized him.

* * *

Katara woke up with the sunrise the next morning, despite the uneventful weekend ahead and rolled over against her will. Sure enough, the spot where Zuko had been was vacant. She sighed, disappointed. _I guess I couldn't have expected him to stay_, she thought. For a few minutes, she attempted to find sleep again, but it was hopeless. Reluctantly, she sat up, rubbed her eyes and lurched over to her desk. Her current sketchbook sat a little further to the right than she remembered leaving it the night before and she frowned, pulling it towards her and flipping it open to a fresh page. She stared at the paper, still half-dreaming of the night before, of the warmth of having Zuko next to her, of the rush it had given her to see him. She took a pencil into her hand and began to sketch his face and shirtless torso from memory.

* * *

_He's still not back,_ Iroh sighed to himself, standing in the doorway of Zuko's empty bedroom. _Nephew, please, please have done the right thing._ He stretched out his back and then ambled down the stairs, through the kitchen and to the front door of _The Jasmine Dragon_ café to open the shop. He greeted this first customers with a half-hearted smile, not that they noticed in the midst of their morning outing. In the slow weekend morning flow of patrons, he listened for new customers from the kitchen, where he glanced sadly at the photo of the family he used to have; his wife and his son, Lu Ten. _If Zuko has returned to his own father,_ he thought sadly, _than I have lost another son._ The sound of a bell announced the arrival of new customers and Iroh left the kitchen to serve them.

* * *

The police and royal guards insisted on interrogating Zuko as soon as he'd regained consciousness. He sat up in the hospital bed, feeling groggy as they handcuffed him. There was a sharp pain in his chest, but the black spots had vanished from the edges of his vision and it was easier to breath than the last time he'd been awake. Dr Pakku had insisted on letting one nurse stay in the room to monitor him and he recognized her with a hint of embarrassment: Suki.

"Let's start with your name, son," a police man said calmly, switching on a recording device.

"Zuko." He had to clear his throat and say it a second time.

"Zuko, in your own words, could you explain the happenings of last night?"

"Happenings?"

"Yes, what were you doing last night?"

He leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment, frowning as he tried to rid his head of grogginess. "Where should I start?" The men watched him intently and he avoided looking at Suki. Her gaze was relentless, but he couldn't blame her; he understood. She was afraid of what Katara had become involved in. "I think, we should start a little further back than last night," he said.

The policemen and the guards looked at each other, surprised. Turning back to him, one of the policemen said, "Go ahead."

* * *

Katara walked into town with her brother. The city seemed to be bustling with some sort of chaos, the worst of which they seemed to have missed. An ambulance truck roared away from the hospital and towards the royal palace, and Katara wondered with a hint of guilt whether Azula had gone ahead with her plans, with or without Zuko.

"You okay?" Sokka asked. "You've been real quiet lately. And you didn't come home gushing about your night out the other day."

Katara felt herself blush, but Sokka wasn't paying that much attention. "Oh, it was nothing special," she lied. "I'd actually meant to come home, but we got lost in the park for ages and then it started raining."

"Did you get any sleep?" he laughed.

"Yeah. My friend's house was closer so I figured it would be best to just crash there for the night."

"Suki said you guys were late to school yesterday."

Katara nodded. "That's right. We slept in. It was nearly midnight when we got home and we were both exhausted from being lost for so long. It was scary." For a while, Sokka didn't say anything. The ambulance truck roared past them again, back towards the hospital. "Sokka?" He made a sound of acknowledgement through a wide yawn. "You and Suki are cool with each other, right?"

He gave a sarcastic laugh. "I think we're a little more than cool with each other, Sis."

"What if someone else and I were… a little more than cool with each other too?"

Sokka gave a sudden start and looked to and from his sister a few times in confusion. Clearing his throat in an attempt to stop his voice from breaking he said, "Why do you ask?"

Looking down at her feet, she gave a quiet smile. "Just asking."

Sokka eyed her with the exaggerated suspicion that only her brother could produce. "I guess I'd have to meet the guy and give him a good talking to before I decide."

Katara giggled. "Want to meet someone?"

His face seemed to fall. "Oh boy… fine. I guess I'd better meet him. I don't already know him?"

She shrugged. "You probably know _of_ him, but I'd rather you meet him properly before I tell you who he is."

"What's his name?"

"That would be telling you who he is before you meet him."

Sokka searched clumsily for an argument, but before he could open his mouth again, their conversation was broken by the sound of wailing. They noticed the police car parked outside the house they were passing, and Ms Joo Dee standing in the doorway. She was the source of the wailing and as they watched, she slipped further and further into hysterical tears.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us, ma'am. You're not in any trouble just yet; there are just a few questions we'd like to ask you," a police officer said. Sokka and Katara continued walking as the men led her to the car and drove away.

"Well that was different," Sokka said, looking after the police car curiously.

Katara frowned as they continued towards the business district of Ba Sing Se. As they passed _The Jasmine Dragon_, Katara glanced into the little café, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zuko. She saw only Iroh, his brow furrowed as he went about his shop. "Hey," she heard herself say. "Sokka, do you wanna stop and get something to eat?"

"Are you kidding? I'm starving!"

She took him by the hand and led him into the café. Iroh turned to greet them with a small wave and a smile, but his face lit up when he saw Katara. Without a moment of hesitation, they both opened their mouths and asked, "Have you seen Zuko?" at the same time.

However, while Katara just gave a light giggle, Iroh's face fell again. She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't seen him since last night. He went for a walk and never came back. Or at least… I didn't hear him come back. I think he must have, because he left without a jacket and his jacket is gone now. I don't know what to make of it, but…" Iroh glanced at Sokka, uncertain, then back to Katara. "I fear the worse for my nephew."

Katara bit her lip. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore her brother's presence. "He came over to my house just before midnight to make sure I was okay." She felt Sokka turn to look at her in shock. "He stayed for a while, and I fell asleep again, but he was gone when I woke up this morning." She could feel Sokka's expression turning to horror.

"I don't know where he is now and that scares me. I am afraid that he went to his sister last night and agreed to help her."

Katara shook her head stubbornly. "He wouldn't do that."

Iroh gave a soft chuckle. "You've known my nephew for less than a week, Katara. You have already learned that his past is somewhat dark. But perhaps you overlook how much your friendship, or whatever else you consider yourselves to each other, means to him. Moreover, perhaps you underestimate how dangerous Azula is. She might just be another teenager to you, but she is the right hand of Ozai and the Red Army. It goes against everything that Zuko stands for, but to protect you from Azula, or really to protect anyone from Azula, I would not put it past my nephew to make such a sacrifice."

She frowned deeply. Sokka stood next to her, speechless after what he'd heard, confused and scared. "Katara…?"

"We need to find him."

Suddenly, the quiet chattering in the background silenced itself. Iroh, Katara and Sokka turned towards the doors of the café, where two police officers - a man and a woman - stood, scanning the room before them as if they were searching out a face. Their eyes rested on Iroh and they nodded to each other. Iroh took a deep breath and stepped towards them. "How can I help you?"

"Are you Iroh?" the female officer asked. He nodded. "You have a nephew by the name of Zuko, correct?"

Iroh nodded again. "That's right. I do not know where he is; I haven't seen him since last night. Are you looking for him too, or do you know where he is?"

The officers glanced at each other and the male officer said, "We know where he is. He's been in custody since around four o'clock this morning. He's injured and in hospital, but he's been very cooperative. We are hoping that he won't end up in any trouble, as he appears to be a victim of circumstances. However, there are some questions we have to ask of some other people whose names were mentioned before we can confirm that his story is true."

"His story?" Katara asked, stepping up. "Hospital, custody, what's happened to him?"

"He's been shot." Iroh and Katara glanced at each other in terror. "Are you Katara?" She nodded. "Your name was mentioned too, and we've got some questions we'd like to ask you." The officer looked past Katara. "Who's this?" she asked of Sokka.

"My brother. He's never met Zuko before. Actually, I was about to introduce them today, that's why we're here."

The officer nodded. "He's welcome to come to the station with us, but it's not required of him. Katara and Iroh, we're going to have to take you into custody for questioning. We hope you will cooperate."

They both nodded quickly. The police officers helped Iroh clear the shop of customers and he quickly locked the doors. Sokka insisted on going to the police station with Katara. They were sat in a room with Ms Joo Dee, who was still slipping in and out of hysteric misery, and a girl who Katara recognized as Jin, who looked exhausted and worse for wear. They were instructed not to converse with each other until they had all be separately questioned. One police officer was left to monitor them.

"Please understand, this is purely because we want to hear everybody's story separately, uninfluenced by the story of anyone else. Some of you might be recalled for questioning multiple times, so until we express permission, please refrain from conversation."

Katara raised her hand like a school-kid. "When will we be able to see Zuko?"

"After the questioning is complete. Officers might have to make trips to the hospital to questioning him again too, if they feel the need. Please, just be patient."

The hours dragged on into the afternoon and Sokka whined quietly about his empty stomach and his disbelief that Katara had kept him in the dark about this suspicious boyfriend of hers. The officer hushed him gently for speaking. Katara was called for questioning twice and answered the policemen nervously but honestly.

"I've only known him personally for about a week. We had detention together and we just got talking. No, I wouldn't say we're in a serious relationship. Not yet at least. I like him, sure. I don't like Ms Joo Dee or Mr Long Feng. Wait, what? He's a Red Army member? I didn't know that. No, no, Zuko and I said it jokingly the other day when he gave us another detention. That was for being late… and Zuko made a nasty comment about him and Ms Joo Dee. Well, Ms Joo Dee has issues with what I draw in my sketchbook not that it's her business, and she confiscated it and Zuko stole it back, but when she noticed we told her that she'd lost it and Zuko suggested that the drawings were no more inappropriate than um… well he suggested Mr Long Feng as Ms Joo Dee were having an affair. Dead? Really? Oh… Azula? I guess that makes sense. I only met her the one time, and I was hiding in his wardrobe. She threatened to hurt me if Zuko didn't cooperate with her. She said that she already had Jin too. She said that if Zuko didn't cooperate with her, she's hurt us both. No, I've never met Jin before. I've seen her once though. Um, I think Iroh set Zuko up on a date with her randomly." She watched them write down the last of what she'd said before she cleared her throat timidly. "Is Zuko okay? When will we get to see him?"

"He is fine. You'll see him after all this questioning is over, we just have to work out a few things. Thank you, Katara, that's all for now."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about that last big chunk of interview from Katara. I went a little Truman Capote and 'In Cold Blood' on you... I'm going to guess no one else has ever read that book and just shut up for now. But otherwise, what did you think? I let Zuko live (for now), you glad? Oh, Suki is never going to let him live this one down... And now Sokka knows too! Argh!

A big thank you once again to everyone who reviewed last chapter :) I'm going to be mean again and say **5 reviews or no update**, but I think that's reasonable because that's half the number I actually got for last chapter. So, impress me! Tell me what you thought of the chapter (once again, the new longest in length) in a review!


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, but before we commence, **I would like to put out an apology** to anybody who felt 'annoyed', 'disappointed' or otherwise offended by my asking for a certain number of reviews before publishing a new chapter. However, while I do understand your reasoning - as once upon a time, I felt quite the same - I ask you now kindly to understand mine. Writing a chapter by chapter story without very many reviews is a disheartening experience. Reviews provide encouragement and the reassurance that somebody out there is definitely reading and enjoying a story. Favouriting or following a story does not guarantee a dedicated readership, just as buying a book in the real world does not guarantee that you will read it. In the real world, author's need reviews too. At the end of the day, it can actually be quite challenging to satisfactorily write 1000-3000 words and post it online for an audience, and that task becomes increasingly harder when there is little feedback given. Meanwhile, clicking a couple of buttons to leave even just a very simple review does not take much effort, especially not in comparison. If I'm putting in 1000+ words of effort in, I don't really think it's too much to ask of you for a handful of reviews. I'm not asking for much. I'm not even asking for more than I've been getting. Frankly, I think it was rather petty that two people had a poke at me for it last chapter. But whatever, it's only fanfiction and if that's your opinion then once again, **I apologize**.

Now, for the rest of you lovely people, have a chapter and if you wouldn't mind, do kindly leave a review. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

When the police finished their questioning, Dr Pakku had Suki move Zuko to a ward. He rubbed his wrists where the handcuffs had sat and was glad to be rid of them, even if he was forced to be transported by wheelchair. "It's just how it works in hospitals. We don't ask sick and injured patients to walk when we have the ability to move them ourselves," she said, somewhat indignantly. Zuko didn't answer her as she wheeled him into a room with two beds. One bed was already occupied by a younger girl with short black hair.

"Suki, that you?"

"Hi Toph. How are you today?"

"The stinging has finally stopped. Can I come home soon?"

Zuko left the wheelchair and sat on the bed. The girl across the room gazed in his general direction with a frown. He realized with a small start that she was blind. Suki went over to her. "They're looking much better today. I'll get Dr Pakku to look at them again and he'll tell you if you can go home soon. I'm sorry the treatment didn't work, Toph. You were so excited."

She shrugged. "It would have been nice to be able to see for the first time, but I've been blind my whole life, so I'm use to it. I guess I don't care either way; it was just the thought of something cool and new. Who else is here? That doesn't feel like Aang."

Suki grunted. "It's not Aang. His name is Zuko and he was shot earlier this morning. Dr Pakku wants to keep him here until someone he lives with comes to take him home, just so he's not left on his own with the injury." She glanced over to Zuko. "He should be gone in a few hours."

Toph shrugged. "Whatever. How is Aang anyway?"

"Still pretty out of it. Though there _is_ a bit of good news; he's been moving a little in his sleep. I'd say he's going to pull through."

The blind girl's face cracked into a smile. "Finally. Sugar Queen will be happy to hear that. Hey, give me some gossip. Has she told you anymore about that guy she had detention with? I got the vibe that they were getting _friendly_."

With a sigh, Suki turned to look towards Zuko again. "Yeah, her new boyfriend. Apparently, he visited our house last night before he got himself shot."

For a moment, Toph frowned, trying to sense the direction of Suki's voice. When it clicked, she gazed blindly towards Zuko and indicated to him again. "This is the guy?"

Suki nodded. "This is the guy."

Toph gave him a sly grin. "Kid, you're going to get Hell from me. I love stirring Sugar Queen up, and I haven't had the pleasure to use a boyfriend to get under her skin for a long time."

Suki started laughing. "Zuko, she isn't kidding." She stood up. "I'll send Dr Pakku to see you when I bump into him, Toph. Maybe he'll let me take you home tonight." She left them alone.

Toph turned to gaze blindly at him once again, a mischievous grin spread across her face. "So, you and Katara slept together yet?"

Zuko stared back at her, dumbfound.

* * *

Sokka dragged Katara straight from the police station, to the supermarket to buy the groceries – their original task for the day – and then straight back home. "I cannot believe you didn't tell me about this guy! Look how much trouble you're in now!"

She sighed. "Sokka, didn't you hear them? I'm not in any trouble. And from the sounds of it, he's not in much trouble himself." Sokka grunted. "Sokka, he is a hero! If it weren't for what he did, Azula would have gotten information to the Red Army. Then Ba Sing Se and every refugee in here would be screwed. Including us."

He huffed irritably. "It still would have been nice to know who my sister was hanging out with!"

"I was trying to introduce you to each other today! It's hardly been a week. Give me a chance!"

He rounded on her suddenly. "It was _him_ you were with the other night when you didn't come home, wasn't it?!"

Katara bit her lip. "Yeah, and what of it?"

"You slept at his house and he slept at ours without you even telling anyone!"

"He didn't sleep when he came to our house. He was just making sure his psychotic sister hadn't abducted me."

"Oh my God!" Sokka yelled out as they approached the house. "Why does the universe do this stuff to me?"

She shrugged. "What stuff? Come on, Sokka, it isn't that bad."

"Oh yeah? Tell me, what could be worse?"

"Um, it would be a lot worse if his sister _had_ come and abducted me. She was threatening to kill me, Sokka," she pointed out.

Sokka just shook his head. "Katara, why didn't you go to the police?"

"You know that's not how it works," she sighed. "If I'd gone to them, she would have done something before they caught her and come back for revenge."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "What do you think she's going to do when she realizes that she didn't get the stuff she was after?"

Katara shook her head. "She's gone now. And the police know what she could do, so they'll be keeping an eye out. It was too late to go to them before. It's safe for them to know now."

He shook his head. "I still can't believe you and your little boyfriend are getting out of this one so easily. Those files must have been really important for them to be letting Zuko off like this for saving them."

* * *

Somewhere far outside the walls of Ba Sing Se, a woman dressed in a Red Army uniform entered the underground bunker and made her way through the passageways. Other members of the Red Army trembled and bowed to her as she passed. A cruel smile graced her lips as she went by. Two guards standing in front of a door bowed and stood aside for her. She didn't even have to slow down as she approached or entered the room.

Her Father – Lord Ozai, as he had everyone calling him – stood on the other side of the room, his back to her, facing a burning fireplace. Azula moved forward confidently and stopped a few meters away. "Father," she said with a bow. "My mission is complete. I have brought you the files of King Kuei from the royal palace itself." She presented the package wrapped in bin-liner to the man.

He turned to face her slowly and took the parcel from her hands. Holding it out in front of him, he addressed her. "My sources tell me that your brother has been left alive."

Azula frowned. "I shot him as I left and I watched him fall. He should not have lived!"

"WELL HE LIVES!" Ozai yelled, suddenly furious. "I told you clearly that if he was not to return with you willingly, you were to end his life on completion of your mission."

She nodded frantically. "I am sorry, Father. I will return to Ba Sing Se tonight and finish the job. I will get it right this time."

"No," he said. "You will not go back to Ba Sing Se tonight. The city is on high alert now. Your brother has told the police everything he knows." His eyes burned on her face. "You will return another time. And you _will_ complete your mission properly."

She nodded. "Of course, my Lord."

He glared at her for a moment longer before he began unwrapping the package in his hands. Azula raised her head proudly as he pulled the files from the bin-liner. Her smile faltered for a moment when she saw them. They were not how she remembered them. She'd taken an A3 folder, not –

"What is this?" Ozai asked venomously, flipping through the pages. "You dare to mock me like this, Azula?!" he roared.

She resisted the urge to flinch at his tone as she reached forward and pulled the files from his hand. They weren't files at all. She flipped frantically through the blank pages of a sketchbook, her heart-rate rising in panic and embarrassment. "What?" she hissed at the empty pages. "The files, I even looked at them to check, but they were in a folder, not a…" Her brow creased as she remembered that she'd given the package to her brother when they'd first been confronted by the guards. _But how?!_ "Zuko!"

* * *

Iroh had gone straight to the hospital after the questioning was over. Zuko had only been in the room with Toph for an hour before he arrived. He chatted animatedly with the blind girl while Zuko sulked on the other bed, asking if they could go home yet. Toph sighed inwardly after finding herself alone once again. It wasn't long before Suki rejoined her though. "You sound exhausted," Toph said as she slumped into the chair next to Toph's bed.

"I have been working way too hard." Suki complained. "I need a holiday."

Toph laughed. "Dr Pakku seemed pretty happy with my eyes, but he didn't say if I could go home or not."

"Not to you. He told me to take you with me."

She grinned. "Really? Finally! I am so sick of this place."

Suki glared at her, not that she'd be able to tell. "How do you think I feel? I work here!"

She laughed again. "Whatever. Is it time to go now?"

"Yes… let's go. We're picking up dinner for everyone on our way. Noodles again. Yay!" she exclaimed sarcastically.

"Yes! I am so done with hospital food. Suki, that stuff is gross!"

It seemed to take Suki until they were leaving the noodle shop to remember that Toph didn't need babysitting and a hand to hold just because she was blind. The girls walked home, chatting like old friends as the afternoon turned into night. Momo became frantically excited when Toph arrived, running around her in circles. Katara, Sokka and Gran-Gran all came to greet her happily as Sokka ushered Suki towards the dinner table with the food. The noddles were gone within minutes and Katara began the washing up.

"So Katara, I hear your boyfriend got shot," Suki said casually.

"You knew!" Sokka gasped, turning on her. "You _knew_!"

"Oh… yeah, I kinda did."

Sokka threw his arms in the air in disbelief. "I hate the universe!"

Katara frowned at her. "I'm guessing you saw him at the hospital."

"More than saw him. I helped keep him alive and then I had to sit in on the police questioning him to _monitor his condition,_ as Dr Pakku put it."

"How is he?" she asked, a little worried.

"He's fine. We moved him into the room with Toph after the questioning until his uncle came to take him home."

Toph laughed evilly. "Katara, I love the guy already. He's so much fun to pick on!"

"Toph!" Katara whined. The girl just laughed again.

Sokka grunted. "Why am I the last one to meet this guy?!"

"Hey," Gran-Gran said. "I haven't met him yet either. Stop your complaining!" A sudden outburst of barking interrupted the conversation and announced that Momo was suddenly running amok, scampering to the front door and yapping excitedly at somebody on the other side. There was a gentle knocking. Gran-Gran started. "Oh, now who could that be?"

"I'll get it," Suki volunteered. She stood up and disappeared from the room. They heard the door click open. Suki gave a small gasp and a sound of indignation. "Come in then," she said. Then as she reappeared in the kitchen, "Katara, guess who?"

Katara set down the dishes and was walking towards them before she was even certain; but her guess was right. "Zuko!" She threw her arms around him.

"Ow… Katara… pain…" he winced, patting her back gingerly.

"Katara, he got shot this morning, be gentle with him!" Suki said.

She pulled away. "Sorry! I'm just glad you're alive."

"You and me both…" Then, turning to Suki. "Can't half tell that you're a nurse."

"Watch it kid, I saved your life this morning!"

"And for that, I thank you."

Suki smirked and took her seat next to Sokka again. "No beating him up for being your sister's boyfriend until he's recovered."

Sokka moaned. "Why not?!"

"Can he just not beat me up at all?" Zuko said, half-hopeful.

Sokka scoffed. "Forget it, buster!"

With a sigh, Katara took Zuko's hand and led him towards the dinner table where her family waited for the official introduction. She glanced worriedly at his too-pale face. "Alright everyone, this is Zuko. Be nice to him because he probably saved my life last night."

Toph waved mischievously while Suki rolled her eyes. Gran-Gran smiled at him in welcoming and stood up. "It's nice to meet you, young man. You're welcome to come over anytime, as long as you treat my granddaughter properly."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'll do my best."

Katara felt somewhat relieved at the sight of that awkward half-smile. "This is my grandmother."

"Call me Gran-Gran."

Katara pointed across to Sokka. "And this is my brother. I brought him over to _The Jasmine Dragon_ this morning to meet you, but… well, you weren't there, obviously."

With an uncertain shuffling of his feet, Zuko held a hand out towards Sokka, who rose from his seat and considered the young man for a moment longer. Zuko was probably three inches taller and had a stronger build, but Sokka was sure he could take him in a fight. He shook Zuko's hand. "Hurt my sister and you die."

"Sokka!" Katara, Suki and Gran-Gran all scorned him.

He put his hands up defensively. "Hey, give me a break! I'm only pulling his leg!" He turned back to Zuko. "But seriously, dude, don't hurt her."

The others convinced him to stay for a while and they sat around the dinner table talking as if Zuko was any other young girl's new boyfriend who'd just met the family. Gran-Gran and Sokka were the most inquisitive, though while the former was gentle and genuinely curious, the latter seemed to be searching for something to use against him.

"So let me get this straight, you and your uncle run that café by yourselves? No one else?"

Zuko nodded. "He's a dedicated business owner and can handle the customers single-handedly. I just pitch in when I'm not at school to give him a break."

Sokka smirked, grasping at a thread of something funny. "Does that mean you have to wear an apron?" Scowling, Zuko stared at him and then nodded. "Ha!" Sokka burst into laughter as if it were the most hysterical thing in the world.

In the corner of his eye, Zuko saw the rest of the family frowning at Sokka, and Katara slammed a palm against her forehead. He reached for her hand underneath the table and flashed a half-smile at her. She couldn't stop herself from smiling back. All in all, meeting the family hadn't been that bad.

* * *

Author's Note: You know what sucks? When you upload a document to the doc manager, do a bit of proofreading, fix a couple of mistakes, write up a seriously thought-out author's note, format the document, click save... and then your laptop/internet screws up and the saving process times out and you have to do it all again. Yep, that's what just happened to me. Well, let me know what you thought of everything here: Azula and Ozai, Sokka's reaction, Toph and the rest of the family meeting Zuko, etc. Do feel free to **leave a review** :)


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: A big, big thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter :) Let's wrap this little package up! On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Ms Joo Dee took the next week off of work. Rumour amongst the students was that she was taking a trip to a psychiatric hospital near Lake Laogai after being informed of Mr Long Feng's death. With two teachers missing from the school, classes were chaotically organized and supervised by whichever other teachers were free. A group of police officers came through the school and asked every teacher the same question, which several students caught wind of. "Do you know which students were closely acquainted with Azula?" The teachers, no longer fearful of her presence, were quick to point to the students they'd known to interact with her regularly, including the boys who had been involved in a scuffle with Zuko the week before, which had landed him in detention. The students indicated were taken away for questioning for possible knowledge or involvement in Red Army activity. Rumour had it that the students would be arrested and prosecuted if found guilty of involvement.

But Katara was relieved that one thing hadn't changed amongst the chaos of that week. That very Monday, she found Zuko sitting against the fence near the back of the school oval as she had found him the week before, his hair shading his eyes and his head down over the book he was studying for literature. She sat down next to him and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear, waiting for him to notice her. She caught the smirk that twitched against his lips as he tried to ignore her, so she shuffled closer to him until she was leaning on him. Finally, he snapped the book shut.

"Can I help you?" he said, turning to face her.

She shrugged. "I was just looking for a guy. He's pretty cute."

He scoffed. "I think I know who you're talking about," he said, putting an arm around her.

She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a minute, feeling the warm sunlight against her face. "I like the sunlight today. I know it wasn't raining over the weekend, but it feels like it was."

Playing with her hair, he chuckled. "It's supposed to rain later today." He watched the smile forming on her lips. "What are you doing after school?" She sat herself up, shrugging. "I have something for you, back at the café. Follow me home?"

Katara hesitated for a moment. "Can we go by the hospital first? Suki said Aang seems pretty close to waking up. I just want to see him for a moment."

* * *

After classes ended for the day and the home-bell chimed, Katara met him eagerly outside the front gates and followed him along the bustling streets of Ba Sing Se. The sky had clouded over and the smell of rain clung to the air. Just as Zuko had predicted, the first drops fell from the sky just before they arrived at the hospital. Katara led him down the familiar corridors and gave Dr Pakku a greeting smile as they entered a room with two beds; a room Zuko had been in only two days previous. Toph had not needed to return to the hospital, but in the bed Zuko had occupied, a familiar boy rested, eyes closed.

"He's been showing good signs, Katara," Dr Pakku said. "If he regains consciousness properly, I will have Suki alert you immediately."

"Thank you, Dr Pakku," she beamed. She took a seat next to Aang and searched out his small, pale hands, rubbing her fingers against his knuckles.

Dr Pakku turned to Zuko and looked him up and down. "Can I help you? How is your injury?"

Zuko shook his head. "I'm fine. Just visiting." He indicated to Katara. With a nod, Dr Pakku left them. Zuko lingered uncertainly in the doorway.

"You know you can come sit with us. It's okay, Zuko," Katara cooed. A half-smile broke through his scowl and he pulled a chair up. For a moment, he stared into the young face of the boy in the bed. There was something peaceful about his features that hadn't been there last time. _Hope_, Zuko decided. _He won't die. His body has made it this far. It's pulled through the worst of it and he won't give up now._ It made his stomach twitch strangely to think how very different Aang was to him, yet how much they had in common.

Katara gave a sudden gasp.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled. "He squeezed my hand. Sorry, it just gave me a shock." But her face was alight with that same peacefulness Aang held.

Zuko didn't think as he reached out a hand to place on her shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay, Katara."

She smiled at him, knowing how many different meanings those few words held. Aang, Ba Sing Se, the Red Army: there was still hope for a happy ending. "You're right," she said.

* * *

Iroh beamed at them as they sat down at a table in _The Jasmine Dragon_, though their clothes were damp and their hair was wet from walking back in the rain. "I'll put a pot of tea on for you both," he said happily.

Katara giggled. "Your uncle is so sweet."

"He's a great guy. I'm glad I have him."

She looked down at her hands and reached across the tabletop to run her cool fingertips over his. "Do you wish you had the rest of your family with you?"

His brow furrowed for a moment before he shook his head. "I'd like to have my mother back. But after knowing what awful things my father and sister are capable of, I'm happy for them to stay away."

The blue of her eyes was penetrating as she searched his face for something more, something deeper. "You considered going with Azula, didn't you?"

He heaved a long sigh. "You don't know what it's like to lose your family like that. I wondered when she first offered to take me back to Dad if it might be worth it to be with them again. But the more I thought of it the dumber I felt for even considering it. I have Uncle, and we treat each other the way family is supposed to treat each other, not the way my father and sister treated me."

Her smile was the closest thing to angelic he'd ever seen. "I'm proud of you. And I think your uncle is too."

He gave a small nod and smiled. "I'm proud of me too." He squeezed her hand. Iroh sat two teacups down with a teapot between them. They thanked him quietly and started sipping. "So when does your dad come back next?"

Katara's smile widened. "Next month. I'm really excited to see him again." She bit her lip after that and hesitated for a moment before she asked. "Would you like to meet him?"

Zuko smirked. "Sure. Is he less weird than your brother?" She couldn't stop herself from laughing. "I'll take that as a yes."

"My Dad is pretty cool."

He nodded. "He sounds pretty cool. I wish I could say the same for mine."

Her smile faltered for a moment and she drummed her fingers nervously against the tabletop. "Sorry, should I stop talking about family?"

"What? No, of course not. I'm the one who brought it up."

She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I always feel like I'm saying the wrong things to you."

Zuko shook his head. "You're not. Don't feel that way." He didn't like how demanding his tone was, but there was nothing he could do once he'd spoken. Katara looked down at her hands for a long time and he pulled them gently back into his grip. "Listen… It's hard for me to hear sometimes, other people having such nice families and whatnot. But I have my uncle. And he's all I need." He hesitated. "The police told me that they've been tracking Azula. I don't think I'm supposed to know. One of the rookies let something slip in front of me after the questioning. But he said that if they can track her for long enough, they'll have my father too. If they catch them both… Maybe your dad won't have to leave again. Not under the dangerous circumstances that come with the Red Army being in action at least."

She gazed up at him with her blue eyes. There was that peacefulness about her face again, that expression that came with hope. It reminded Zuko once again of the sky, and of the ocean, and of the way they reflected her every mood, like when she was happy, upset, mad. A smile tugged the corners of his lips.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked.

He didn't answer her in words, but brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

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When they finished their tea, Zuko led her through to the kitchen and up the stairs to the apartment where he and his uncle lived. His bedroom was just as Katara remembered it; not too big, not too small and a little messy. She stood timidly in the doorway, blushing as she remembered how comfortable sleeping in his bed had been. Outside, the pitter-patter of rain echoed through the streets and hammered against the rooves and windows of the buildings.

"Come in," he said, taking her hand. He shut the door behind him and then turned back to her. "Okay, this is going to sound weird, but on that night, when it all happened and I came to your place to make sure Azula hadn't hurt you yet… well, I got this strange idea stuck in my head after you'd fallen asleep, just as I was about to leave."

Katara frowned. "What sort of an idea?"

"The sort of idea that eventually foiled Azula's plans to get those files to Ozai." He hesitated. "I can't explain how I knew. I just did. I guess, I remember when my sister wanted a really rare book in a library that wasn't supposed to be borrowed, or even touched. It was antique, and worth a lot of money. She stole it. She put it in a bin-liner and left quickly. No one could tell what she had and just assume that she was taking something down to the op-shop or throwing something out. I really don't know how to explain how I knew she would use the bin-liner to conceal the files… but I knew it, I just did. I took something from you. Something that I guessed would be about the same size of the files, or at least, would look the same as the files if I wrapped it in a bin-liner." She stared at him, confused. Zuko walked over to his desk and pulled a large A3 sketchbook out of a plastic bag. "I remember you saying you always liked to have one of these spare, so that you wouldn't suddenly run out of paper to draw on." He passed it to her. "I took your spare one when I left your house that night. I wrapped it in a bin-liner and switched it with the files from the palace, which Azula had wrapped in a bin-liner. I figured I should replace it before you run out of paper."

Katara stared dumbly, a wave of contradictory emotions rushing over her. "You stole it from me?"

His face faltered. "I made sure it was the spare one. Katara, please… I know you love your sketchbooks, but I promise, it wasn't one you'd used, I made sure."

She blinked and the rush of anger dissipated and was replaced with relief. "Nobody else could have possibly saved the day like that. How did you know that Azula…? Zuko, that's great!"

He sighed in relief. "So, you're not mad at me?"

Katara took the sketchbook from his hands and flipped through its empty pages, shaking her head. "No, I'm not mad." She closed the sketchbook and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you."

Zuko snaked his arms around her and held her to his chest. As the rain came pouring down outside, they enjoyed each other's warmth. She pulled away for a moment so that she could plant a small kiss on his neck. His grip on her waist tightened slightly and he tilted her face up towards his. Their eyes met for a moment and a moment turned into a minute as he pressed his forehead against hers. She remembered the first time he'd done that, in the same room, less than a week ago. Katara closed her eyes as she leaned her lips towards his and she felt her body jolt with pleasure when the kiss began. Zuko brought a hand up to the back of her head and deepened it. She let out a soft moan and entangled the fingers of one hand in his hair while the other hand gathered a fist-full of his shirt. The sketchbook dropped to the floor, forgotten, unimportant. They found themselves pulling closer to each other and then Zuko gently pushed her down onto his bed. They kicked their shoes off and felt the rush of excitement that overwhelmed their bodies as their kisses grew deeper.

A sudden knock at the door made them gasp and scramble off each other. Zuko winced as the sudden movement provoked his injury and he clutched the place on his chest where Azula had shot him. "Zuko, I have the shop under control. You can take tonight off. Just make sure you walk Katara home before it gets too late. It's a school night, do not forget!"

He blushed furiously. "Okay, Uncle!"

The man's footsteps drifted away and Zuko sighed, slumping back down onto the bed. Katara stared over at him, smiling, sly. He turned to her, smirking, and reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind her ears.

"It's cold," she said, quietly. Zuko didn't say anything in reply. He pulled the blankets of his unmade bed out from underneath them and spread them over their bodies, tucking a pillow neatly beneath Katara's head. With his arms around her, she was able to rest her head against his chest. She could feel the bandage that wrapped around him. "Am I hurting you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. Just don't move too much," he said.

"Can we stay like this for a little while?"

She felt his chest shake with a soft laugh. "Of course."

As the rain beat down on the roads and footpaths and buildings outside, Katara closed her eyes for a moment and drifted into a gentle sleep with his arms wrapped snugly around her frame. It felt just like the night she'd spent with him after being lost in the park, except that she wasn't as badly soaked from the rain and it wasn't as freezing. A feeling of safety draped itself over her when she thought of how willing he'd been to protect her. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome," he said, knowing exactly what she meant. Zuko kissed the top of her head so gently that it felt like a dream, somewhere behind the rain, outside of the city's walls, away from the war. She dreamed of a house on a southern coast, overlooking the ocean, and the sunshine glistening off the water after the rain. She stood on the beach, the smooth, white sand beneath her feet. Zuko stood holding her from behind, pressing kisses into her hair as they watched the foaming waves roll in.

_**The End.**_

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Author's Note: I'm actually a little sad that this story is over, but do tell me what you thought in a review. Oh that ending scene took me so long to be satisfied with, I hope I did it right by you guys.

A big, big, thank you once again to everybody who has read, reviewed, favourited or followed this story. My apologies to those of you who jumped on board under my original pretext of having a very short, 5 chapter or so fic. But I am so glad to see how many people stuck with me. All of your reviews have been really encouraging and there is no way I could have finished this story with such a feeling of self-satisfaction without your input. Hope to see you all around!

One last thing, which I kept forgetting to mention during the other chapters. **JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!** Check out my profile page for more info, or just PM me, or ask in a review :)

Love you all. Thank you for reading.

XD

A~A~A


	20. EpilogueImportant Author's Note

Author's Note: What's this? Another chapter? Well, an epilogue anyway. Just because I randomly felt like it and wanted an excuse to tell you guys that I'm going to use the general gist of this story to create my own novel, though much longer and more detailed and even darker than this. If you would like to keep up with my progress on that, plus all of my other real-world original writing adventures, visit, bookmark and/or follow my blog, the link to which refuses to appear here no matter how much I disguise it, but it's on my profile page if you care to look.

Enjoy!

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**Epilogue**

The war finally ended seven years later. Zuko and Katara had dated the whole time and had been engaged for three years. "I don't want to get married here," she'd told him. "I don't want to stay here."

They didn't stay in Ba Sing Se. When her father returned for the war – this time for good – the decision was made to move the family back to the south coast. Gran-Gran made the choice to stay behind and live with Iroh, whom had befriended her and offered to let her stay in Zuko's old room in the upstairs apartment of _The Jasmine Dragon._ "We'll visit every chance we get," Zuko promised his Uncle.

They set up their own house, close by to where her father was staying, and also close to where Sokka and Suki had moved in. Their house overlooked the crystal waters of the ocean and the soothing hum of the water, the waves, the shifting tides, was always audible from the house. Zuko stood with her on the beach that afternoon. The clouds hung thick in the sky, and he understood completely why she could appreciate sunlight so easily. What was left of the pain that had been caused by the war seemed to wash away from them as they looked over the sea, towards their future, towards freedom from fear and the oppression of the city that had kept them safe.

He touched her shoulder gently as they stood on the beach. Katara turned to look at him. They needed know words to tell each other how happy they were going to be from then on, or how good life would become. He smiled at the relief in her eyes; relief that she was finally home. The house was theirs and the place they were standing with the sand beneath their feet was a place that no one else was allowed to touch, except for the ocean's salty water and the wind and the rain.

Katara turned back to the ocean and leaned into him, letting his warmth surround her despite the chilling wind of the south.


End file.
